Top 11 of 2011: My Recap

Well now that we are officially in 2012, I thought I would take a moment to look back at my top 11 Disney experiences of 2011.

11.  News of a new race!  I have to say I was very excited to hear just this past month that 2012 will be the start of a new 10 mile race through Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The Tower of Terror 10 mile race sounds like so much fun!  It's taking place at the end of September, and it is another night-time race.  Now I don't know if I'll get the chance to run this one this year, but I'm hoping to try it out sometime in the near future.

10.  Having a Disney scavenger hunt with Payton:  This summer when I was off work, my son Payton and I tried to find some Disney related things we could do to keep the magic going from our end of May vacation.  So, we made up our own home-town Disney scavenger hunt.  I'm going to do a full post on it sometime this year so that maybe it will inspire you to go looking for Disney touches in your own home town.  Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, even if it was Animal Kingdom hot outside!!

9.  Booking another vacation:  Back in August I made Walt Disney World vacation plans with my mom to take my son, Payton, and my nephew, Ari, to Disney in March 2012.  You can only imagine how excited I was to make these reservations!  I've taken my mom to Disney before and we had an absolute blast.  And of course, my son is nearly as big of a Disney geek as I am (the brainwashing really is working!).  Now I get the opportunity to introduce my 7 year old nephew to Disney on his very first trip.  As my mom likes to say, "You've got fresh meat!!"  He is so excited, and so is his aunt Mendy.  We are going to be staying at Coronado Springs (my first time at this resort), and we are taking him to several character dining experiences.  I cannot wait to take this vacation, then to come back and share it with you all.

8.  Disney vacation presents:  So to go along with number 9, I had a great time Christmas shopping this year for my nephew, Ari.  Since we are taking this vacation in March, I bought him several park related items, including Disney jammies, a Mickey t-shirt, an autograph book, and a lanyard with trading pins.  From the minute he opened the box, he couldn't stop talking about the trips, mostly about getting character autographs.  Have I said I can't wait for this trip...well, I CAN'T!!!

7.  Pirates:  Something I had been looking forward to for a while was the release of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides.  Well, not only did I love the movie (I mean, who can possibly get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow?), but I got to see it on opening weekend....on the Disney Dream!  It was so neat to say I watched Pirates of the Caribbean while on a cruise ship. 

6.  Waking up in Africa:  As I've probably said many times on this blog, Animal Kingdom Lodge is my absolute favorite place on Walt Disney World property.  The resort just feels like home to me, cozy, warm, comfortable, while still being exotic.  We were privileged to stay here again this past May, and even though I'm not a coffee drinker, one of the best experiences I had this year had to be waking up early to sit out on the balcony, drinking my water, and watching giraffe's outside my window.  I can honestly say that I get a huge lump in my throat when it's time to check out of this amazing Lodge and head for home.  I would live there if I could.

5.  Star Wars Geeking:  There is no doubt that Star Wars Weekend was a definite highlight for me in 2011.  Thanks to my dad, I'm most definitely a sci fi fan.  I remember watching Star Wars movies with him at home.  So even though I said that we did this just for Payton, really it was a little bit for me too.  And imagine my delight when I got to meet R2D2 and C3PO...and they talked to me!  I mean these robots didn't just stand there for pictures, or even just move their heads and blink...they TALKED TO ME!!!!  C3PO carried on a full conversation with me.  He even remembered Payton from meeting him earlier.  It was crazy cool!

4.  The Magic, The Memories & You:  Seeing this new nighttime castle show for the first time was amazing.  So was the second time!  I was absolutely blown away by the incredible graphics and photos projected seamlessly onto the castle walls.  This show is such an emotional experience.  It was truly incredible, and I can't wait to see it again.

3.  AquaDuck!!:  For many years, I never imagined getting to go on a cruise.  Now add on to that a water slide that is high up in the air, over deck 12, that has a tube which takes you out over the ocean.  No way...not me...well maybe just once....I LOVED IT!  The Aqua Duck is quite a rush, and I loved listening to my little buddy giggle and scream when we rode it together.  So awesome!



1.  And my top moment of 2011....drum roll please....Going on Vacation anyway:  May of 2011 was a seriously tough month for me.  I lost my job at the beginning of the month.  Since our vacation was scheduled for the end of May, both Kendall and I had some doubts as to whether or not we should even still go.  Luckily, it was already paid for.  So, we took the advise of several others and decided to go ahead and go for it.  And I'm so glad that we did.  Overall, the vacation was amazing, but the best part was taking that first step and decided to go, and to not let circumstances outside of my control ruin my magical experience.  Believe it or not, I think that was the first step toward all the good that has happened in my life since then. 

My year has definitely had it's ups and downs, and I've been so blessed in so many ways.  Now I'm looking forward to an amazing 2012 and all of the Disney and non-Disney moments to come. 

Happy New Year!!!

Ports of Call: Trip Report part 2

So in my last post, I shared about the first couple of days of our running away/sailing away vacation.  Time to move on to our ports of call!  Monday found us pulling in to Nassau, Bahamas.  We were originally planning to do an excursion, but later decided to just stay on board.  That turned out to be a great decision as it seemed like the majority of people on board got off the ship.  After breakfast, Payton opted to spend time in Oceaneer Lab, so Kendall & I toured the ship, primarily the upper decks, taking pictures of Nassau.  We also spent quality time in the Quiet Cove, adults only area.  Neither of us can figure out how they managed to make it so quiet in that area, considering Funnel Vision is just on the other side!  The hot tub was very relaxing, and it was neat to look down below through the glass panel. 

We picked Payton up for lunch and had a quick bite at Cabanas, then headed to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides.  The theater was so nice, and we were able to see the film in Disney Digital 3D.  The only thing we were disappointed about at the theater was not having freshly popped movie popcorn.  We had been so looking forward to that, along with a nice big Coke, but sadly, the popcorn is bagged and the sodas are canned.  And if you do get treats at the theater, just be aware that you have to purchase them, they are not included.

After the movie, we spent more time in the swimming pools before getting ready for dinner.  That night we dined at the Enchanted Garden restaurant.  The restaurant is absolutely beautiful.  Our food was very good and our service team seemed much more relaxed.  Dinner came more quickly and was overall a much better experience than the previous night.  Our head server and assistant server even spent time sharing riddles and puzzles with us, which was so much fun.  The only thing that I was disappointed about was that our table was on the outskirts of the room, so we really missed out on the "show" of Enchanted Garden, which is when the garden transforms from "day" to "evening."

Following dinner we headed to the Walt Disney Theater for the performance of "Villains Tonight."  I have to say, this show was my favorite of the cruise.  It was so funny!  It's rare that you get to see the villains really starring in a production, especially one that kind of pokes fun at them and at times, makes you like them almost more than the heroes.  We felt a special attachment to Hades, as the gentleman who played that role was the main staff member we spoke to during the muster drill on the first night.  He was outstanding!

 

We weren't quite ready to turn in for the night, so on Payton's suggestion, we headed to the D  Lounge.  Payton sang "Rockin Robin" during family karaoke, then we enjoyed watching the family game show and dancing with the cruise staff during the New Years Eve party.  Sea sickness was not a problem for me this day, as we were docked from early in the morning until 2 a.m., so the motion was almost non-existent.  Yeah!!

Tuesday morning we docked at Castaway Cay.  On the advise of our server, we headed down to Enchanted Garden for breakfast, rather than trying to fight our way through the crowds in Cabanas.  It was much less crowded in the restaurant with a really wonderful buffet.  Although we were all set to disembark, we had left our photo id's in the room, so we headed back up to get them.  Unfortunately, this made us a little late getting off the ship and I missed the 5K run.  I found out later that I could have gone ahead on my own, but oh well, it is vacation after all!  So I got changed and we headed to the family beach.  Payton and Kendall were in the water right away.  We hadn't warned Payton that the ocean is salt-water, so he came up spitting a few times!  That didn't stop him though.  He took advantage of his time in the ocean.  We moved on to another part of the family beach closer to Pelican's Plunge, the water slide area.  The guys were headed out there when they found out that it drops down to 10 feet deep in places.  That made them both nervous, so they headed back to the beach. 

A bit later we began exploring the island, visiting Spring A Leak and taking the tram out to Serenity Bay.  When we got back, Captain Jack Sparrow was greeting guests, and Payton had his picture made with him.  Then he decided he wanted to check out Scuttles Cove, the equivalent of Oceaneer Club & Lab on the island.  So we left him there and then did some shopping and grabbed a bite at Cookies Too.  When we later went back to pick him up, he was ready to get back on the Dream and ride the AquaDuck. 

We spent a large portion of the afternoon in the pools, on the AquaDuck, and snacking while watching Funnel Vision movies.  It was so relaxing and fun!  I even tried the AquaDuck and I have to say, I love it!  It was a great time to play on board, as nearly everyone is on Castaway Cay.  We rode the AquaDuck many times in a row, and had no problems getting into the pool or getting a deck chair.  After a few hours of this, we cleaned up and decided to try out the Mid-Ship Detective Agency.

  

 

If you haven't read about the artwork on board the Dream, or seen it in person, be prepared to be amazed.  Some of the art is interactive, meaning that when you stand in front of it, the art "senses" that you are there and then will share some surprise animation with you.  The Mid-Ship Detective Agency uses the animated art to interact with guests as they go throughout the Dream attempting to solve a mystery.  We solved the case of the missing paintings and had a blast!

That night was Pirates In the Caribbean night and it kicked off with character meet & greets in the atrium.  It was so fun to see everyone dressed in their best pirate gear.  We opted for t-shirts and the pirate bandannas we found in our stateroom.  Then it was on to our pirate themed dinner at Royal Palace.  Even our servers were in their best pirate dress!  The menu was really fun and we enjoyed it a lot.

Following dinner, we headed to Decks 11 & 12 for Mickey's Pirates in the Caribbean party.  We had a fun time listening to pirate music and Payton even played some pirate games.  Then Captain Mickey and his pirate crew came out and put on a really fun show.  After their show, we headed down to the Walt Disney Theater to see Mike Super perform his magic.  What a neat show!  Mike was witty, charming and engaging all the while amazing us with some very interesting illusions.  It was well worth seeing.  Then it was back up to deck 12 to wait for the fireworks at sea.

Now apparently Walt Disney World has ruined us on all fireworks shows.  We groan about our local fireworks because they aren't timed with music on the 4th of July.  And naturally, fireworks at sea, even if they are Disney and timed with music, just aren't going to be the same as Wishes or Illuminations.  But, they were pretty cool.  I would say the best part though was immediately following the fireworks when Captain Jack Sparrow appeared and he and his fellow pirates put on a brief show.  We stayed for a little bit of Club Pirate, enjoying the dance music.  However, we did stay up on deck 12, looking down at the very very crowded deck 11!  Then it was off to bed to rest up for our day at sea.

Sailing Away: Trip Report part 1

As a therapist, I have often told my clients that you can’t run away from your problems.  And hat is true, problems are still there when you get back, and sometimes, they can be even bigger if you’ve tried to run away from them.  However, sometimes it is important to “take a vacation” from your problems and set them aside, giving yourself some time to relax and regroup, better prepared to tackle them head on. 

This I can speak to from experience.  Recent experience in fact.  Let’s just say that earlier this month, some personal/work problems came crashing down around my ears.  The blessing was that we already had a Disney cruise and vacation planned, and thankfully, paid for.  We had a couple of moments of wondering if we should go ahead with this trip, but we were in a cancellation penalty phase that would have cost us quite a bit of what we had already paid.  So, it was time to run away, or should I say, sail away!

We left home on Friday night after Kendall got off work, and drove to Ringgold, GA.  That night we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that we had stayed at on a previous driving trip.  As we pulled in around midnight Georgia time, it seemed unusually dark.  The next morning, we found out why.  Apparently Ringgold had been hit by some of the major tornadoes that struck much of the southern states this spring.  As we were leaving the next day, you could see the devastation everywhere.  Talk about bringing some perspective to my problems.  I am healthy, alive and my home has been untouched by the storms and floods.  I am blessed.

Saturday morning we continued our journey to Cape Canaveral, and it was a long drive.  We made god time though, and everyone was in good spirits, as we all had slept well the night before.  We stayed at the Country Inn & Suites for the night in a family suite.  Payton was so excited because he had his own “room” inside our room.  He tried out the bunk beds, but ultimately decided to sleep in the single bed out of fear of falling off the top bunk, or smacking his head on the lower bunk.  We had some great local pizza that night from DiLorenzo's (http://www.dilorenzositalian.com/).

The next morning felt like the longest wait.  Naturally we were up early, had breakfast and sorted out our luggage.  Then we had to wait for our assigned shuttle time.  We had reserved the cruise package, which allowed us to keep our van parked at the hotel while on the cruise.  We were finally shuttled over to the port around 12:30 p.m.  By the time we got into the port, there were other guests already aboard the Dream.  It was hard to just hang out and wait.  However, we were far from the last people to board, as the Disney Cruise line buses pulled up well after we had checked in.

When we were finally called to board (along with basically anyone else that was left), we went in through the Mickey shaped tunnel and had our family “Welcome Aboard” photo taken.  Then it was on to the ship.  Wow…the atrium is as amazing as everyone has said.  Absolutely beautiful!  Our stateroom was ready so we went there first to put down our carry on bags and then go exploring.  We visited the upper decks, checking out the pool and the AquaDuck, then back down to tour the Oceaneer Club & Lab.  By then, it was time for the sail Away party.  Man it was sweltering hot on deck 11!  The sun was beating down, but that didn’t hamper the excitement.  Once the party was over, we headed down to our stateroom to clean up and go to our first dinner.

That night we were assigned to Animator’s Palate.  The restaurant itself is adorable, with all the nods to animation and the little details.  We were seated with a family of five.  Now with our family being newbie cruisers, this was kind of a new experience, as we are used to dining just the three of us.  The kids were all starving so there wasn’t much chatting going on.  Unfortunately, our first dinner was something of a disaster.  While the food was good, it was incredibly slow, taking over 2.5 hours to complete, and not by our choice, but because it took them that long to get the food to us.  Some of it wasn’t even warm by the time we got it.  And the first hour of dining was over by the time our fellow parents got their drinks.  Our serving team was as nice as they could be, but things just weren’t going well.  And I hate to say this, but we had a hard time understanding them throughout the cruise.  It was a struggle to focus enough to pick out key points as the food was described or even when they asked us questions.

So in my family, I am the one who gets motion sickness while watching my guys play video games.  So, I had begun taking Ginger pills prior to the trip, hoping to stave off the motion sickness the best that I could.  Well, not so much.  We could really feel the motion of the ship down in Animator’s Palate, and it only got worse during the Golden Mickey’s show in the Walt Disney Theater.  We went to the theater after dinner to get our seats, and right away I was not feeling well.  A few minutes after we were seated, one of the cruise entertainment staff members, Lauren, came up and asked Payton if he would help out in the show.  This kid has got some kind of fabulous aura, because he gets picked for this kind of stuff constantly!  Anyway, now I had to hold it together because my baby was going to be in the show.  Thankfully, his part as one of Snow White’s dwarfs happened early on.  He loved every second of it.  It’s so funny because we tease him about Snow While.  He’s been kissed by her twice in the parks, and this time, he got to hold her hand on stage.  Well, no matter how fabulous the show was, my stomach couldn’t take being at sea and I missed the last 15 minutes of the show getting more acquainted with the restrooms on the 3^rd deck.  The show itself was wonderful though, and I couldn’t wait to see more shows during the four night cruise.

Following dinner, we went upstairs and decided to change into swim gear and hang out by the pool.  The guys took a spin on the AquaDuck at night, which they loved.  I opted to stay dry, as the temp had dropped significantly since we pulled out of the port.  Watching movies on Funnel Vision was pretty amazing and very relaxing.

So far, this running away thing was a little bumpy but for the most part, going well.  Next post I will share more about our cruise days at Nassau and Castaway Cay!