A Trip Around The World + An 11-Night Fantasy Trip to Paradise! June 14-28, 2017! *COMPLETED 8/24*

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Really enjoying your latest updates. And, pictures are fantastic!

Thanks! I'm happy you have kept up with my report. I hope you are doing well!

Zach ...I'm late, but I promise I'll get caught up. Looks like an awesome trip!

Thanks GAN! Glad to see you have joined in! I hope everything is going well for you!

How nice of them to make you a special meal the next day! Enjoying following along.

It was definitely one of the special things that happened to me on this cruise. It made up for the previous meals.

Was your Palo server named Stefanos? We were on the same cruise and we twice had him as our Greek server at Palo. Fast talker and charming.

That name sounds really familiar and he did talk pretty quick. That could have been his name.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 12: Tortola…Why?​

Here is the Navigator for our day in Tortola:



Welcome to our final port of call that doesn’t include Castaway Cay! To be honest with all of you, Tortola was probably the place I was looking forward to the least even though I had not been there yet. So, I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Tortola.

Like each morning, I got up and watched us sail into port. However, I got up later than I was wanting to on this day, so I missed most of the sailing in part. I did watch us dock though.









My Dad and I had an early excursion again, so we went ahead and got breakfast before going to our excursion. We met in the D Lounge for this excursion.





My Dad and I would be traveling on the 4x4 Adventure and Beach Tour. So, this was our 2nd 4v4 Adventure and this was drastically different from the one we booked on Martinique. To start the excursion, my Dad and I entered a open air “jeep” type vehicle with a couple and another family. My Dad and I are really tall people so our legs were really squished whenever we were in the vehicle. Like the other 4x4 excursion we did, it seemed to be a topic of discussion of people thinking this was an ATV excursion. So, I am beginning to wonder if 4x4 means totally something different in the Caribbean than in the U.S.A?

We would stop at a location to get a nice picture of our ship. Our driver though informed us that there was some good news and bad news. The good news was we were stopping. The bad news was 1 of the 3 vehicles (not ours) had ran out of gasoline. So, I felt bad for that tour group. Just a thought…If you were a tour group taking people on a tour that required a vehicle, don’t you think you would have filled up with gasoline beforehand? So, that was a very quick negative to this tour.



We would then stop as we got up the island which had great views of the surrounding islands and Tortola.







When we got back in the vehicle, it was time to head to the beach. However, the driver informed us that we would be stopping at the airport to change since we are not going to a beach with a restroom on it. Now, I’m on a cruise. I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO AN AIRPORT! Anyways, we arrived at an airport that seemed to be the least crowded airport I have ever seen. It was almost like a ghost town. So, whenever I go on beach excursions, I always come off the ship prepared to go to the beach. That just gave me time to walk around the deserted airport, and I also bought a bag of chips and a coke since I was hungry and they didn’t serve any food on this excursion.

Finally, everyone changed and we were off to the beach.

When we arrived, we had an hour and a half on a beach that I thought was very nice. I thought it was a lot nicer than the beach we went to on Aruba, but it wasn’t my favorite beach that we have visited in the Caribbean. It was very quiet which is what made it very nice. The drivers also served punch/rum (I think) while we were there. About an hour after we had arrived, the 3rd vehicle that had ran out of gasoline finally arrived. The people on that 4x4 did not look happy once they arrived. When we were leaving though, it looked like they were still given an hour and a half which was very nice.









Our vehicle for this excursion:


After our time at the beach, we headed back to the ship, but would stop in two different locations. The views from where we stopped were also great. Just so everyone knows…When you are driving a tour group and you want to stop, don’t drive backwards towards the edge of a cliff!!! That was definitely a scary moment.









Finally we were on our way back to the ship!



Just some thoughts about this 4x4 Adventure…Don’t do it. I was hoping for some off-road type moments like we had in the last 4x4 Adventure. With all of the times they stopped, it began to really get annoying to get off the 4x4 and back in. This tour is really not worth the money, and I heard of people on other tours that had a great time. I apologize, but I don’t remember what tours those were.

When we arrived back at the dock, it was time to do some shopping. However, this was by far my least favorite shopping area of the trip. I could not find anything that I liked at all.



So, it was time to head back to the ship.







When we got back onboard, I had just enough time to go see Alton Fitzgerald White’s Q&A. That was fascinating to hear about what life is like as a Broadway star. Right after his Q&A, we had a special treat. We got to see the Disney Broadway Hits Concert that took place at the Royal Albert Hall in England where Ashley Brown, Josh Strickland, Alton Fitzgerald White, and others performed many Disney on Broadway hits. That was an amazing concert, and I really wish the movie of the concert would be shown in the United States!



After that, I went up to the Rainforest Room. Yay for relaxation!

When I was done relaxing, it was time for the show for the evening. On this evening, we would be given a concert by the a capella vocals of Six Appeal. They would do some Disney songs, but for someone who is very particular on a capella groups, I wasn’t a big fan. However, they were a big hit with everyone else in the theater.



Then it was time for the adult show! We had the dueling pianos with Scotty Killeen & Michael Sunshine on our sailing. They typically perform at Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk at Walt Disney World. Their performance was fantastic!



After that, I got a bite to eat which ended up being pizza. Then it was bed time.

On this evening, I think we had a stingray as our towel animal.



The next day would be a sea day as we sailed for Castaway Cay!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 13: A Fantastic Day At Sea!​

Here is the Navigator for our final day at sea:



Hello everyone and welcome to the final day at sea for the 11-night Southern Caribbean Cruise! This was one of the best days at sea I have had in a long time.

Up first, it was time for a battle between the Captain of the Disney Fantasy, Captain Fabian, and the Cruise Director, Natalie! Now, how would they be battling this morning? If you guessed a cooking competition, then you are correct! Now, each of them had an assistant chef. The Captain had the hotel director on his team, and the Cruise Director had the Assistant Cruise Director on her team. Natalie would also get one of the chefs on her team which seemed to be like an unfair advantage for her compared to the Captain.





So, each team was to create a dish and the team with the most points given by 3 cruise guests would be the winner. They also had to cook with a secret ingredient. That secret ingredient was marmalade. If you like that, let me know, because I honestly do not.



It was a great battle, but it was definitely close in the end. However, the Cruise Director, Natalie, would eventually win this battle of the chefs! It definitely made it a fun rest of the day whenever Natalie or the Captain would give us updates.

After the battle of the chefs, the Mainstage performers were giving a Q&A, so I went ahead and attended that. That was really interesting to hear how life is onboard for a performer.

Then right after the Q&A, it was time for Bobby Podesta’s last presentation. This presentation would be called The Life At Pixar! This was really interesting to hear what a typical day is like at Pixar, and how Pixar got to where they are now. I still think Bobby Podesta’s presentations were one of the big highlights of this cruise.

So, what do you do after hearing a presentation? You go eat! I was able to eat a quick lunch before it was time to go eat some more! I would end up going to the final Anyone Can Cook Series onboard this cruise. This was a very good presentation because they made apple strudel for us, and it was delicious!



So, after enjoying some delicious food, I went up to deck 11 to watch my favorite Disney animated movie! That movie is The Lion King! I could watch this movie and listen to the music all day if I wanted to.





SImba is my favorite Disney character (especially baby Simba):


It was really a beautiful day at sea!



After watching the Lion King, it was dinner time! It was also the 2nd formal night! My Dad and I would be going to Animator’s Palate on this particular evening. It was also the evening where we get to draw our own character and then it projects on the screen later on.



On this particular evening, the appetizer is pre-selected for you. You also have the choice to order a soup (tomato spaghetti meatball soup). I would order the soup (not pictured). The appetizer came with some type of meat, shrimp, and I can’t remember the thing in the middle.



For my entree, I would choose to get the lobster. The lobster comes still in the shell, but the waiters will take off the shell for you right at the table which is fun to watch.





I also got a surprise dish again since I wasn’t really at dinner the night before. Our waiters made me a dish that consists of my favorite cuisine, Asian! I absolutely love Asian cuisine, so this made my night.



For dessert, I would have the lava cake (not pictured). After eating my entrees, it was time for the show! My character came by fast, but I did spot him!



When dinner was finished, it was time for the final Disney Broadway style productions on the Disney Fantasy. That would be Disney’s Believe. I do like this show, but there are several other Disney Cruise Line shows that I like more than this one.



Next, it was time to go get a spot for Alton Fitzgerald White’s adult show in the Tube. He put on a fantastic show again!

Then I went up to deck 11, grabbed some pizza, and watched Remember the Titans on Funnel Vision. That was really cool to see on the ship since sometimes you forget that Disney made films that you just wouldn’t associate with them making. It would actually start to rain during the movie, but I was able to find a chair under an overhang for the rest of the movie.

After the movie, it was bed time!

For our towel animal this evening, I want to say we had another dog.



We would be arriving at Disney’s Private Island called Castaway Cay early the next morning!

 

[lucas]

Glad you're back! Great updates!

One other thought on the Tortola tour.... who takes tour groups to a beach without some kind of restroom?!

 

[Mark D.]

We definitely agree on the Tortola excursion. I knew it wasn't going to be an ATV, so I wasn't surprised by the vehicle. But I don't think they should advertise something as a 4x4 Adventure if it doesn't actually go off road! Unless they count the parking lot for the beach. And the airport stop was odd. Like you, my family was ready to go -- there was no need for us to change. Rum and punch were available if you asked, but the drivers weren't volunteering it.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Glad you're back! Great updates!

One other thought on the Tortola tour.... who takes tour groups to a beach without some kind of restroom?!

I have no idea!

We definitely agree on the Tortola excursion. I knew it wasn't going to be an ATV, so I wasn't surprised by the vehicle. But I don't think they should advertise something as a 4x4 Adventure if it doesn't actually go off road! Unless they count the parking lot for the beach. And the airport stop was odd. Like you, my family was ready to go -- there was no need for us to change. Rum and punch were available if you asked, but the drivers weren't volunteering it.

Yeah. I have thought about calling DCL about that excursion, but I just haven't yet. There was literally no offered to it at all. I don't count the beach.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 14: A Day in Paradise (Castaway Cay) - Part 1!​

Here is the Navigator for our day on Castaway Cay:



The night before Castaway Cay, you are given a map of the island in your stateroom:



It was time for the bittersweet day of the cruise! That is always Castaway Cay! Now, why bittersweet? That is because this port of call is my Dad and I’s favorite port, and many other people who I talked to on this cruise said the same thing. This place is just a lot of fun and relaxing. The sad thing is, it usually is always the last day of the cruise. So, after a fun day in the sun, when you get back on the ship, that means it is time to pack.

So, as each morning began, I got up early to watch us sail in. With the experience I had on other cruises, I knew already that there was a good chance we would be arriving early into Castaway Cay, so I gave myself extra time. In fact, I would be right. We docked about an hour and a half ahead of schedule, and would be able to get off the shop an hour early.











I would end up getting breakfast before heading onto the island.

When I got off the ship, I went straight to the tram, and I was fortunate to have a tram right there waiting. When you get to the 2nd stop (family beach), you need to take a separate tram to Serenity Bay (adult beach), and that is where I was heading.

What was surprising to me when I got to Serenity Bay was that it was crowded. Now, I haven’t ever witnessed Serenity Bay as crowded as it was on this day. Our sailing definitely had more adults than normal traveling without kids so that could have been a factor, but I couldn’t find two chairs together under an umbrella unless I walked all the way to the end of the beach. This was about 45 minutes after people were able to start going ashore. My Dad would eventually catch up to me later in the day.







This was a fun day to watch the seagulls since they seemed to be very interested in eating any fish that came close to shore. There were times when “attack of the birds” could have been made into a movie, because it was that interesting to watch.



When my Dad finally got to the beach, that meant it was time to relax some more. I had booked a cabana massage which was really relaxing. Definitely worth it if you get the chance to do it. There’s also a nice waiting area by the cabanas that you can relax at until your massage.







Right after the massage, I was able to eat. Now, there are two places you can eat on the island. One is by the family beach and the other is on the adult beach. The cruise staff prepares a barbecue lunch at both locations (same menu if I remember correctly). The options they have on this day for lunch are really good. I particular like the mahi mahi and the potato salad.

After that, it was time to go back to the beach and I would eventually spot someone for the first time on Serenity Bay. I had always heard rumors that Jack Sparrow would show up at some point, but I had never witnessed that moment on my 4 previous cruises. I finally saw Jack Sparrow on Serenity Bay on this cruise which in many ways made my day. Jack Sparrow was particularly funny on this day. I told him that I really enjoyed his new movie, and he proceeded to say, “I didn’t. I don’t want to be chased by sharks again for all of your enjoyment.” He also began talking to another family that rented one of the tubes. He proceeded to say,”What is this?” His guide said that, “people use that to float in the water.” Jack proceeds to say, “But there is a hole in it.” I don’t know if I will ever forget that line. Everyone was laughing so hard after he said that.



The clouds were starting to roll in, but it actually never rained! It was an absolutely beautiful day on Castaway Cay!



After some time, I decided to go back to the ship, but I always walk from the family beach back to the ship. I would have to take the tram from Serenity Bay to the Family Beach before I can start my walk though. WhenI got to the Family Beach tram stop, I would get a smoothie at the new Frozen smoothie shop on the island which was really good. I ended up getting a strawberry smoothie. I would also check out the shops on my way back to the ship.



A plane by the tram stop at Serenity Bay:








Family Beach:
















More from this day in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 14: A Day in Paradise (Castaway Cay) - Part 2!​

I arrived back to the ship after a nice walk.



When I got back to the ship, I went straight up to the Rainforest Room for the last time. I really do like that place a lot.







After relaxing in the Rainforest room, it was time for me to begin packing which is something I didn’t want to do after being on a ship for a week and a half.

Here are some pictures of our inside stateroom with the virtual porthole:











After some time in the Rainforest Room, I left and went to the top deck to watch us sail away from Castaway Cay.









It was then time for dinner and we would be going to our exclusive booth one last time on this cruise at the Enchanted Garden. This was easily the best meal I had in the dining rooms on this cruise.

For my appetizer I would have the Malaysian chicken satay. This was by far the spiciest thing I have ever had. The chicken wasn’t spicy, but it was the cucumber thing that was. I am usually someone who likes spicy, but when I couldn’t talk for about 5-10 minutes after taking one small bite out of the cucumber thing, I knew it is really spicy. I would eat a couple more bites out of it carefully before I went onto my next item. If there was one thing I learned from eating the cucumber part, listen to your waiters since one warned me about it.



The soup I would end up getting was the lobster bisque. This was absolutely delicious. One of the best soups I had on the cruise.



For my entree, I had the roasted salmon steak. Oh my goodness, that dish was incredible! I know what I am getting on this night of the cruise each time as long as they don’t change the menu.



For dessert, I would end up getting the celebration cake.



I would like to talk quickly about our waiters, Roque from India and Lea from the Philippines. They were absolutely the best waiters we have had on Disney Cruise Line and including past experiences aboard Carnival and Royal Caribbean. The amount of times that they would just talk to us were great. It was great getting to know them, and how much they cared for us was amazing. I especially enjoyed the “special” entrees that I got, but that would not have happened if they just said that they would see me the next day. Nope. They wanted to go the extra mile and make my meals special. There was nothing as special as getting a dessert that said "nothing” on it when I didn’t want dessert in the first place. I am sure there are other waiters like Roque and Lea on Disney Cruise Line, but they definitely made my experience one that I will never forget. Roque and Lea…If you ever read this trip report…Thank you for making my Dad and I’s experience incredible. Your service was amazing, and thank you for being one of the reasons why our trip was so magical!



It was time for the final show of the cruise. The show on this evening was a farewell show. It’s a nice way to say goodbye, but I think this show needs to be patched up a little bit. It was a little cheesy.



More of this day in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 14: See Ya' Real Soon!​

Right after the show, it was time to say goodbye to a new friend that I got to meet first on Disboards, but finally got to meet her in person while onboard this cruise. That would be @lucas and her husband. @Lucas…It was great getting to meet you and your husband on this cruise! It was great chatting before many of the shows about different Disney things. Hopefully we can sail again at some point in the future!



I would then end up walking around the ship before seeing See Ya Real Soon. See Ya Real Soon is the last chance everyone has to take pictures with the famous Disney characters and it is also the last time you would see them for this particular cruise.























So, how many characters could I take a picture with in 20 minutes?





Donald is my favorite so we held up a #1.









So, I was able to take 6 different pictures, but since Chip & Dale are in one picture, I will say that was 7 characters! All of the lines move very quickly during this, and the pictures are with your personal cameras only. They don’t have any of their photographers out during this event. The M&G handlers are always willing to take a picture for you though.

See ya real soon, Disney characters!



Right after that, I went to the adult show for Six Appeal. Yep, I still wasn’t a fan, but I enjoyed them more the 2nd time. They definitely do put on a good show though with their choreography. I just don’t know how I feel on some of their harmonies.

I would then walk around and take pictures before heading to bed.

On this evening, our towel animal was a penguin!



Sadly, we would be arriving in Port Canaveral really early the next morning.

 

[lucas]

Great report and pictures! Thanks for letting me re-live one fantastic cruise!!

Dh and I enjoyed meeting you - first at the spa raffle and then at the meet & greet. After that, it was always fun chatting and attending some of the events with you. It was nice to have a friend to run into throughout the cruise! I hope we get to cruise together some time in the future. Say hi to your Dad for me.

 

[lucas]

​

On this evening, I think we had a stingray as our towel animal.

That looks like a crab to me. Ha ha!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

St. Kitts really does look pretty - like what you envision a Caribbean Island to be. And the views from the Fort are incredible!

Great story about the giant plate of all the food your servers brought you - glad you thought it tasted good!

That is great you got to see Alton Fitzgerald White - always nice when a specific performer you know/like will be performing and you get to see them perform like that - and even better that you also made the Q&A the next day

Hmmm, now I am questioning if we should participate in Match Your Mate or not

Sorry Tortola turned out to be a bit of a bust - though the beach did look nice and quiet. I guess 4x4 is anything that has 4 wheel drive but would be good in the tour description if they were clearer if this was a "jeep" or an "ATV"

Do you have any favorite A Capella groups? I tend to listen to Straight No Chaser as I like their holiday stuff but am far from an expert

Getting to watch your favorite Disney animated film while on the ship sounds like a pretty good day. The scene you showed a screen shot of reminds me of this meme:

Seems like a really nice day at Castaway Cay - even if a bit more crowded than you were used to. Good to know about the ship often coming in to dock their early - though my wife and I are planning to do the 5K there when we go

Sounds like a great last dinner and glad you enjoyed your servers so much - that is one thing I see all the time in peoples posts on Facebook or whatever - how great the servers are on the Disney Cruises and how much they try to get to know you, etc.

Oh, I have been meaning to ask if you requested to sit by yourselves or if it just happened

6 character photos in 20 mins is really great! Good to know about the handlers taking pictures with your own camera - I am debating whether or not to get the photopass package thing

That last day must really be bitter sweet, I can see that

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

That looks like a crab to me. Ha ha!

Lol. I guess I can change it if I really wanted to.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Great story about the giant plate of all the food your servers brought you - glad you thought it tasted good!

That is great you got to see Alton Fitzgerald White - always nice when a specific performer you know/like will be performing and you get to see them perform like that - and even better that you also made the Q&A the next day

Hmmm, now I am questioning if we should participate in Match Your Mate or not

Sorry Tortola turned out to be a bit of a bust - though the beach did look nice and quiet. I guess 4x4 is anything that has 4 wheel drive but would be good in the tour description if they were clearer if this was a "jeep" or an "ATV"

Do you have any favorite A Capella groups? I tend to listen to Straight No Chaser as I like their holiday stuff but am far from an expert

Getting to watch your favorite Disney animated film while on the ship sounds like a pretty good day. The scene you showed a screen shot of reminds me of this meme:

Seems like a really nice day at Castaway Cay - even if a bit more crowded than you were used to. Good to know about the ship often coming in to dock their early - though my wife and I are planning to do the 5K there when we go

Sounds like a great last dinner and glad you enjoyed your servers so much - that is one thing I see all the time in peoples posts on Facebook or whatever - how great the servers are on the Disney Cruises and how much they try to get to know you, etc.

Oh, I have been meaning to ask if you requested to sit by yourselves or if it just happened

6 character photos in 20 mins is really great! Good to know about the handlers taking pictures with your own camera - I am debating whether or not to get the photopass package thing

That last day must really be bitter sweet, I can see that

- The extra plates were so good! I will remember that for a long time.

- His concert was probably one of the highlights of the trip for me. I also enjoyed hearing more with how it is like on Broadway or in a touring cast at his Q&A.

- If you want to participate then go for it! It is also just fun to listen.

- If we ever do an Eastern itinerary that goes to Tortola, I think that will be like Nassau for us at some point soon. We just stay on the ship in Nassau now since we have been there so many times.

- I do like Straight No Chaser. I have enjoyed Pentatonix more with their Christmas music than their other covers. I enjoyed Home Free for their first couple albums. However, the Voices of Liberty/Liberty Voices/Voctave are amazing! I included all 3 of those since I'm sure the members of those groups are amongst those 3.

- That Lion King meme is one of my favorites.

- The 5k people are always the first ones to go off the ship. Make sure you are up early that morning. I think you need to sign up on embarkation day. I don't know where though since I haven't participated in it.

- I have had great servers on all of our DCL cruises, but none of them compared to our waiters on this cruise. We did have one sorta bad experience, but that was mostly because we couldn't understand our main waiter and our assistant. That was a couple cruises ago though.

- I did request a private table. Disney is very clear that it is just a request. There is a chance it won't be honored. On 5 DCL cruises, we have requested a table 3 times, and did not twice. The 3 times we requested, it has been honored. The two times we didn't, we got a private table once and we were placed with other people the other time.

- See Ya Real Soon is really neat event. However, depending not he cruise, there are a lot of characters or there could be more. I have been on other cruises that have had more characters out for this event.

 

[rteetz]

I don't know how I miss this TR but I did and now I am here for the end. Loving reading about the cruise experience. I have always wanted to cruise.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I don't know how I miss this TR but I did and now I am here for the end. Loving reading about the cruise experience. I have always wanted to cruise.

Thank you for joining in! I hope you enjoy the rest which should be coming sometime soon.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 15: Debarkation Day + MCO to the Midwest!​

Hello everyone and welcome to the final day of my vacation! This had been a long two weeks, but I was finally ready to get home. So, I will now talk about Debarkation Day!

Debarkation Day is always a very early one. It is also stressful, but not stressful at the same time. I say that because Disney is trying to get you off the ship as orderly as possible while trying to prepare for the next guests coming aboard later that day. So, if you are expecting this to be a magical morning, I hope you get your expectations low early. There isn’t much to this day other than eating breakfast, getting off the ship, and going to your next destination. Nothing is open besides the restaurants and the photo gallery.

So, my morning started very early. My Dad and I woke up around 6 a.m. and we were already docked in Port Canaveral. I knew I wasn’t going to be up in time to see us sail in, because the ship always gets to Port Canaveral very early in the morning. When I woke up, I turned on the T.V. and realized we had sailed 3,458 nautical miles. This was the longest cruise the Disney Fantasy has ever done.



After getting ready, I quickly went to the top deck to get some pictures. It was a beautiful morning in Port Canaveral, and it was also quiet on the top deck.













I think our scheduled breakfast was at 6:30 a.m. in the Enchanted Garden Dining Room. This was our final chance to say goodbye to our awesome waiters who we would be leaving after breakfast. I ended up getting the Belgium Waffle for breakfast.

After breakfast, my Dad and I went back to our room to gather our things and get ready to head off the ship.

Now, the ship has two ways you can go off the ship. You can get off the ship first, but that is only if you have all of your luggage. If you decide to leave your luggage outside your room the night before (like we do), the ship will give an announcement when the luggage is ready in the terminal. At that point, you are able to get off the ship.

So, my Dad and I walked around the atrium area while we waited for the announcement. There was really a lot of people leaving the ship at that time so I decided to ask a CM if the luggage was ready in the terminal. We were told that we were able to get off so we then headed to the line. Now, the line might seem really long at times, but it actually moves really fast. Sadly, after a few minutes in line, we were off the ship and said a big “See ya real soon” to the Disney Fantasy. That’s because everything is never a goodbye with the Disney company.







We would then go through customs after finding our bags which I will not talk about due to safety reasons in the terminal.

After you are through customs, you either go to your car, get a bus to Walt Disney World, or get a bus to MCO. My Dad and I would be getting a bus to MCO. The ride wasn’t to bad to the airport. I think it lasted about an hour or a little over an hour.



When we got to the airport, we went ahead and checked our luggage in and went through security to the tram system. We would be flying on Southwest home since those usually are the cheapest flights in and out of my home city.



We had to wait a couple hours, but it wasn’t that long of a wait. Before we knew it, we were on a plane and heading home!



This flight was by far better than the flight to Orlando to start the trip.

We would arrive back in Kansas City around 3:00 p.m, and it was a beautiful day in the Midwest!



I was already missing Disney, but I knew I would be at the other coast in a couple weeks to visit Aulani, Disneyland, and go to the D23 Expo. This was really a fantastic vacation, but I was happy to be home!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Final Thoughts on the Vacation!​

This vacation was really a trip of a lifetime. Starting our vacation at Walt Disney World and continuing on the longest cruise I have been on was an amazing experience. There are things on this trip that I never thought I would see especially on the cruise. It’s not everyday that you get to say you watched the movie Cars 3 after the Supervising Animator for Cars 3 gave a presentation. It’s not everyday I can say I got to draw characters with a Pixar Animator. It’s not everyday I get to see someone perform some of my favorite Disney on Broadway songs, meet him, and then get to talk to him.

The biggest one though is it’s not everyday that I get to say I was at Disney. Disney to me has always been my “happy” place. Whether that was growing up at Disneyland, going to Walt Disney World, or recently starting to go on Disney Cruises. I can really say whenever I’m around something with the Disney name, I am the happiest I ever am at that point.

Starting the trip in Walt Disney World was great! it was nice to come back to Pandora and see it after being there opening weekend. I enjoyed seeing many of my favorite shows while being there. It is also just great to do Walt Disney World first before the cruise, because then you can relax on the cruise after being in the parks all day for several days. This particular cruise was really long. It’s the longest cruise I have ever done, and I don’t know if I would do a cruise this long again unless the itinerary interested me. This itinerary really interested us since it left from Florida and went to places we had never been before. Just for me, 11 days was really long. I hope one day I can do the longer Alaskan itinerary, a Panama Canal cruise, and a longer European cruise. So, this was a great warm-up for me to know what to expect.

I hope everyone has enjoyed my trip report! At this point, my posts about my vacation are over, but I will have a couple “special” reports coming out about the cruise. Thank you everyone who has tuned in to read each of my reports!

If you have any questions, always feel free to private message me anything about Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani. I will be more than happy to answer them!

 

[rteetz]

Great TR! Loved following along! I hope to someday get on a Disney Cruise.

 

[lucas]

Great report! It was nice meeting you guys and then getting to experience your trip vs ours via your report!