A Whole New World of Disney ~ Lia's Birthday Shore & Sea Dream Trip! UPDATED 6/24!!!!

[__disneygirl]

APRIL 9, 2014
Day 3, Part 2 In Which Gina Eats Vegetables​

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The Contemporary is definitely one of the best places for pin trading because there are just so many pin books/boards in a pretty small vicinity, so that's what we did next. I CLEANED UP. I got the Rapunzel and Aladdin parking lot pins and then I found two Pascals on one lanyard!

MOST EXCITING MOMENT OF MY LIFE TBH. There was a time when Tangled was out and yet Pascal pins did not exist and I was looking for them even back then so I am very happy about this. After I took this picture I found the blue Pascal pin that goes with these and then before our latest trip, Gina got the yellow one and gave it to me! ALL OF THE PASCAL PINS WILL BE MINE.

I absolutely loved this painting we saw in BVG. I wish I was rich!!!

In one of the other stores there was a very sassy (in a good way) Cast Member who made friends with Gina b/c he loved the way she smelled. She pulled out her body spray and he sprayed it around himself very flamboyantly, it was hilarious and awesome. THEN I FOUND THIS PIN ON HIS LANYARD OH MY GOD.

Ummmm you may be aware of my Tower of Terror obsession so I was jumping up and down.

They had Cinderella trivia today which was perfect for Gina because that's her favorite.

These were clearly the most difficult questions of all time. Except the bonus question... everyone knows Cinderella's slipper was made of marble. Come on guys.

We also went out to the Observation Deck on the 4th floor to check out the gorgeous view.

Amazing. I have always meant to watch Wishes from here... hopefully soon!

We saw this DCL display that I have seen a dozen times but suddenly it was a BIG DEAL because I WAS GOING ON A DISNEY CRUISE THE VERY NEXT FREAKING DAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?

I texted the picture to Jess immediately and we started freaking out even more than we had been. Oh man, it was still unbelievable to us!

From there we got on the monorail again and headed to the last stop on our Monorail tour, the amazing Polynesian (Village) Resort.

This pic isn't the best quality, but I love it because I just look so happy and content. Oh Disney, you have my heart.

This is like my favorite thing ever, because aren't those supposed to be Mickey and Minnie's BABIES?!?!?! TOO ADORABLE.

We pretty much just walked around and pin traded for awhile before heading out to the beach to relax. As you can see, I took the opportunity to stretch out and enjoy myself.

All the construction was... weird, I don't know. The Poly is one of those things I kind of wish they would not touch but hey whatever. I do think the villas on the water are cool, they remind me of that famous resort in Bora Bora that I will never remember the name of...? Anyway, here's me and the Polynesian Village construction.

After Gina took that photo of me I basically forced her to push me on the swing. I decided to just lay down and enjoy the ride. You gotta do that in life sometimes, you know?

This caused a huge laughing fit. I don't even know why, but it was just SO MUCH FUN hahaha. I really felt like a 5 year old again. It was fun to swing like that and I guess the overwhelming nature of this whole trip just got to me and I again laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. That was becoming a bit of a theme on this trip.

It felt so good to be rocking a Magic Band again!

After chilling for awhile we walked from the Polynesian back to the Grand Floridian. I had never taken this walk before but I highly recommend it. Very relaxing, beautiful, and romantic even... because Wedding Pavilion. I didn't take any pictures b/c I was too busy being single, but Gina did.

Sigh. Anyway! It took us a ridiculously long time to find Gina's car. I don't even know what we were doing but when do I? Honestly.

We had AMAZING plans this night. I was sooooo freaking excited. Off we went to FORT WILDERNESS!

Remember last trip when we had plans to go to Chip & Dale's Campfire Singalong but it didn't work out? This time it was DEFINITELY GOING TO! And on top of that, we made plans to eat at Trail's End, aka one of the most underrated restaurants at Walt Disney World. I was very very very very VERY excited about all of this because I had never even seen Fort Wilderness!

We left in plenty of time because Fort Wilderness is huge. When you get there and park at The Outpost, you need to catch an internal bus to get to Trail's End/The Campfire Singalong/Other Places. If you are doing anything there, leave more time than you even think you need, just trust me on this one! It's beautiful and amazing and you're going to love it and want to stay and relax.

See? It's big! This isn't a "I want to take a break from Magic Kingdom so i'll go check out Fort Wilderness for an hour and shoot on back" kinda place. This is an open up your evening and chilllll out place. And I love it.

We took the internal bus over to the area titled Settlement, which is where Trail's End and Hoop Dee Doo are.

As you can see, we were very happy! We had not been on a Disney bus yet and it was very exciting! I don't care if I always had a car in Disney, it's just fun to be on a Disney bus and hear Bus Voice Guy and feel the essence of the ~Motor Coach~, you know? Magical. Important.

We saw these beautiful horsies and discovered it was actually really cheap to ride them! Like, cheap for real life, not just cheap for Disney. Or maybe I don't know much about the price of horseback riding, but I don't know, it didn't seem like a lot. They were just gorgeous and we stared at them for a bit before going into Trail's End.

Trail's End is one of those Disney restaurants I've been meaning to go to for years now. In general I think people in the know consider it to be a hidden gem, off the beaten place at Disney World. I agree. Your average guest would probably miss this place and that's AWESOME because it means us diehards get it all to ourselves muhahahaha!

I was hungry.

Feeed me! I had to use the bathroom though, which you have to leave the restaurant and go outside in order to do. Kind of annoying, but I also kind of liked it because it was very 6th grade camp. I don't even remember if you had to go outside to use the bathroom when we went to camp in 6th grade, but Fort Wilderness in general really reminded me of that amazing trip we took as 12 year olds. I was not what is considered an "outdoor girl". I was more of a "stay inside watching HBO the entire day and line up dolls to watch me perform songs from Grease" kind of girl, so being forced into camping ended up being a really good thing for me. I was totally out of my comfort zone, spending time doing things in places I never thought I would, and it turned out being 3 of the most fun days I can remember. It was a very weird yet great feeling to have those memories come back at Fort Wilderness. It brought back a whole new side of my childhood that I didn't know Disney could reach. That's one of the things I love most about Disney World as a whole - there are so many singular experiences embedded in this giant magical enterprise that go beyond hugging Mickey and taking a photo in front of the castle. You never know what land you are going to be transported to and for me it was 6th grade camp and a feeling you can really only feel when you are 12 and camping with your classmates... until you go to Fort Wilderness. I've probably rambled on too long, but I just really really really enjoyed myself here and I cannot wait to go back.

On the way out of the bathroom, I saw the Hoop Dee Doo performers! Ahh, they looked so awesome in their costumes and they seemed so fun! They were barging into the hall that the show takes place in and were hootin' and hollerin'. I still can't believe I haven't done Hoop Dee Doo yet. That needs to happen sooner rather than later.

We ordered Pomegranate Lemonades cause they are delllllicious

and then it was time to hit the BUFFET!!!!!!!!!!! This is a great buffet if you like food. Of any kind.

I am not doing a detailed review of this food, just know that all of it was good and I was furious I couldn't eat more. Stupid stomach filling up.

SeriouslY IT IS ALL SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD

This buffet is one of the best deals in all of Disney if you ask me. It is the cheapest price of all the buffets and if you have a Disney Visa there is even a 10% on top of that. But the food is better than the more expensive buffets. Why they can't get this quality of food at Chef Mickey's is beyond me. It makes no sense. Also they have a lot more than what you see on my plates. I really was in the mood for the foods I chose so I ate a lot of them instead of more of a variety. The other great thing about this place is they go above and beyond for those with dietary restrictions. Gina told them she was a vegetarian and our waitress, who was really personable and attentive, told her to hold tight and they would make her something. Well after Gina had already eaten a plate of stuff from the buffet, out came this.

Big ol' pile of grilled vegetables that is. She said they were good and she ate almost all of them. I was pretty impressed, but I had seen nothing yet.​

 

[renderman7]

A fantastic update, with only week to go myself, I can't contain my own excitement and these photos pushed it up to a new level

 

[__disneygirl]

APRIL 9, 2014
Day 3, Part 3 In Which Gina Eats Dessert​

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Gina is a food warrior.

They should put a photo of Gina on the wall at Trail's End.

This is Gina's dessert plate.

It is very rare that another human being eats more dessert than I do. Very rare. For instance, this morning I had a work meeting and ate about 7,000 Munchkins before anyone else could even find them. But Gina accomplished eating (almost?) this entire plate even after downing all the vegetables. I was highly impressed and stand corrected in thinking I am the dessert professional. That is clearly Gina, and I will need to try harder next time!

We paid, tipped, and mosied on outta there. I'm sorry about the cowboy language or whatever I'm doing. I just can't help it at Fort Wilderness.

It was time to take another internal bus over to Chip and Dale's Campfire Singalong! YAY I'VE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS!

Once you get off the bus, you have to walk kind of far. No big deal or anything, but just so you know, it's not like you get off the bus to Chip & Dale waving you over. There weren't many people around, just someone would go by on a bike here and there, or there'd be a family at a picnic table once in awhile. So peaceful and calm. It kinda seemed like a low key community. I REALLY wish I could live there.

YAY!

Thanks to Gina who took most of these photos. Okay, so here is the deal with Chip & Dale's Campfire Singalong. It is free to all Walt Disney World resort guests (though, I am 99% sure that off property guests will not be asked to show a room key or anything like that so it's basically for everyone on earth) and it is the only place on property you can meet Disney characters for free, except on days like Easter when they randomly have like Daisy or someone greeting at a resort. Anyway, it is completely free and you are welcome to bring your own smores or whatever snacks you want, however of course they sell them (that's what the Chuckwagon is for). As you can see in the photo above the "Campfire activity" starts at 7:00 pm. This is when you gather 'round the fire a-roastin' smores and chillin'.

I can't even tell you how fun this was or the high I got from it. It's such a simple activity and yet I was thrilled. I got such a surge of excitement from this whole thing. I've said this many times, but being a Disney veteran, it is so cool to experience a new part of Disney property. It was getting a little chilly so I went to the restroom to change and then got to roastin'.

I couldn't remember the last time I had s'mores! Gina and I used to microwave them in her house when we were kids, but this was the real deal. So much fun!

As you can see, this area is pretty big. I wouldn't worry about getting there early or anything like that.

They show a movie every night. You can see the schedule for the current month here.

But before that of course the stars of the show have to be introduced! Chip and Dale kinda hang back for awhile with the Family of the Night (or whatever). They choose a family to go up in the front with the Chippies. I have no idea how you get chosen but I was obviously jealous of the kids that got picked. Gina and I left our seats to go scope the whole thing out because OH MY GOD IT'S CHIP AND DALE!

A musician came out and started getting the crowd pumped up, playing his guitar and singing.

He was good. Pretty cheesy, but look, you're at a campfire hosted by two chipmunks at Disney World, so I don't know what you would be expecting. LOL. He was very fun.

He announced Chip and Dale and they moved to the front of the campfire area holding the kids' hands. SO CUTE.

I have almost no memory of what the Chippies did with these kids but there was some little act and then they joined the musician on stage for the singalong!

I really can't stress how much fun this whole thing is and I have to say, I dread the day Disney makes this a paid event. It's such a magical thing and to have it be free and welcome to everyone just makes it even more amazing and special.

I thought the way everything was timed worked well, it was just cute and charming enough without going on too long. I didn't see many bored kids (or adults, for that matter!) After a couple of songs, Chip and Dale leave the stage and the musician continues performing while the chippies greet guests. The way this goes is that Chip and Dale split up. There are two sections you can sit in, right or left, and you get whichever chipmunk comes to your section. Now, that isn't to say that you can't sit in the front of Dale's section and then run over to Chip's before he finishes. We stuck with Dale though.

Soon it was time for the movie to start. We got really lucky on this night, folks.

MORE LIKE HUNKULES!!!!!!!!! We were so happy cause obviously, we love this movie. The only thing I would have been happier with would have been Tangled. I really want to see that at a resort on the big screen outside someday. Ahh, heaven.

It was really fun to watch this movie with an audience! I never saw it in theatres originally so it was just a really cool experience to chill with Gina, eat smores, and see Hercules in an outdoor cinema. At Disney World. LIKE REALLY? Life could not get much better!

EXCEPT IT DID!!!!

We didn't stay for the whole movie because obviously we had to see BOB JACKSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We took the internal busses back to where we parked. While we were waiting, we met a lot of interesting people. Fort Wilderness really feels like an active community, I can't say it enough. I NEED TO LIVE THERE.

@babybritney: Fort Wilderness is one of the most magical places I have EVER been to. I am in love.

@babybritney: Also, run do not walk to Chip and Dale's Campfire Singalong, literally one of the cutest things I have ever experienced.

Gina and I were sitting on a bench when a man driving with a woman in a go kart (a common form of transportation among residents of Fort Wilderness) stopped very short and told us to come look at something.

So funny.

If a man did this to me in Manhattan I would immediately start walking in the other direction as fast as I could. Or even here in Jersey, and I live in a pretty safe neighborhood. But man, you just don't go look at something a stranger tells you to go look at. That is prime kidnapping language. I'm pretty sure "Come over here and look at this" directly translates to "You will never see your family again" in kidnapper speak. However, this is Fort Wilderness. And so Gina and I looked at each other and immediately rose from the bench and went over to the area he was pointing at.

It was odd because he had been speeding by, I don't even know how he knew what was over there. Perhaps he had come by earlier or else he just has a VERY sharp eye.

He was definitely Steve Irwin in disguise because he showed us this coiled up snake near a fence. I wish I could remember exactly what happened, I think the snake had some kind of markings or bright colors or something... it was special, I just can't remember why. He asked where we were from and when we said New Jersey, he assured that we would never see anything like this there. He really stressed how amazing it was for us to see this snake. I thought it was cool but I mean, this guy was passionate. A woman came up to take a picture of it and he told her she could get as close to one inch away from this snake and it would not move. I was not about to test that theory out, but she got pretty close and he was right, it didn't flinch.

It was just a really funny and nice moment. It felt like a ridiculously safe and peaceful place even though I was standing over a snake talking to a stranger. Disney is just the best, you guys. Don't be like me and wait until you've been going to Disney for 19 years to take a trip to Fort Wilderness. JUST GO. I promise it is so worth taking time out of the parks. One of my favorite places I've ever been!

BUT IT WAS BOB TIME.

HELL.

YES.

Bob Jackson is one of my all-time favorite musicians. He has an unparalled energy and presence that I am always blown away by. I am not going to get into an entire explanation of this since I have done it before, so you can check out the first time we saw him here from my May 2013 report and then here when we visited him again in November 2013.

We saw the same show twice the previous times, which was fine because he's so amazing, but this time there were so many songs we had never heard including a ton of Disney songs! His version of Friend Like Me was crazy and so fun! He will never fail to impress me.

Of course after the show we had to visit with our pal BOB!!!!!!!

I don't know if you can tell from our faces, but we were having a nice time.

It is a tradition of mine to take a selfie with Bob, and this time I had to get Gina and Hula Timon in on it! Hula Timon can be a diva when I leave him out of selfies so this was really important.

Bob is one of the best things Walt Disney World offers and if you miss him you are just plain dumb!! Take my word for it! Check out his schedule here and be prepared to have the time of your life.

And OH. I have to tell you about The Drunk People.

These people were So. Drunk. That they are now The Drunk People in my book. Like The Village People, but even more drunk. They were the most hilarious group of people in the world at that moment. I can't describe how into the show they were. They were going absolutely wild as if it was their last chance to have fun for the next hundred years. Gina and I were laughing so hard we could barely breathe watching them.

In the photo below, they are imitating Elvis.

Uncanny, am I right?

The lady filming with the pink Magic Band on was THE DRUNKEST. She was probably the most drunk person I have ever seen still able to sit upright. It was impressive. You have never had as much fun as The Drunk People. The most fun night of your life was a bore compared to the absolute hoot The Drunk People were experiencing. I'm pretty sure Gina filmed them so maybe she will share that footage when she sees this. Oh did I mention GINA IS MOVING TO DISNEY WORLD?!?!? I know I did, but I'm going to keep bringing it up due to it being the most awesomest thing that has ever happened.

@babybritney: We had such a ridiculous amount of fun with yehaaaa bob tonight and I'm so not over it #inlovewithhim

Once we said farewell to Bob, I believe we got a snack at Riverside Mill and then headed back to Jess's apartment. She didn't come along to see Bob because she had been in school all day and really needed to get ready for our DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a snapshot from Jess's calendar. That's right, we were HOURS away from our first (and certainly not last) Disney Cruise!!! We were simply jumping out of our skin with excitement.

I went through everything I brought and decided on what I would leave at Jess's and what I would bring on the cruise. Us girls had fun preparing all together even though Gina could not come. I was sad that she wasn't coming along, but there is always next time, especially now that Gina is moving to Orlando in February for the DCP! AHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to take something to help me sleep, I was too excited. I couldn't even process this whole cruise business. Was it really happening?!!?

DISNEY DREAM HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​

 

[__disneygirl]

Awesome news about Gina. Congrats to her and I'm sure you'll be there many times in 2015! Does she start in Jan? We are finally going during Christmas and look forward to resort hoping especially GF! Any other must do spots for us?
Awesome TR as always!

She starts in February. As far as must dos for the Christmas season, make sure you see the Candlelight Processional and Holiday Illuminations at Epcot, and I would go to MVMCP! Don't forget about the other resort's decorations either. Each one is themed perfectly to the resort and it's so much fun to go around and see them all. You can also do one of the holiday tours or have a horse and carriage ride with hot chocolate at Fort Wilderness.

Oh YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations, Gina!!!!!!! That is fantastic!!!

This is the first I've heard of the painted Easter egg display. Stunning!! People are so talented!!

Those cupcakes look delicious!!

And I love your rainbow tights! Go Lia!!!

Ohhh... not sure if you saw it or not (or wondered, who is this weird person?!) but I tagged you in a picture on Instagram of a the cutest little girl in a Nightmare Before Christmas costume. It was sooo cute and it made me think of you!

Ah yes I did see that! Thanks for tagging me, so adorable!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow Lia, well done on the pin trading. Rapunzel and Aladdin parking lot pins? They really do have a pin for everything. Those Disney geniuses.

I also wish I was rich incidentally.

Aww I was going to say the slipper was made of Croslite™. They are Crocs right?

I hate construction. It just looks so un magical. I do often like the results though. It's a conundrum.

This is why I love your TR's Lia. You just find the joy in the little things. So many people worrying about getting that perfect FP or spot for a parade and you find the joy in simply swinging at the Poly. It's too precious.

OMG!!! I might be doing the camp fire in February!!! So your timing for this is AWESOME!! I love the detail because I didn't know much about it at all. Thank you so much for this! Heck, I think it's also time to see Bob!

OK.... now lets CRUISE!

 

[MrsHuffy09]

Lia~ I've creeped on all your other TRs but decided to finally post. I LOVE reading about all your Disney trips. From the McLovin's, to your love of the monorail voice guy, and your Halloween costumes, I've loved it all. And your whole "lining up your dolls to preform Grease songs" did you live my life? Except I was more reading my Oscar acceptance speech to my Beanie Babies.

Anyway, my parents camp at Fort Wilderness every June and I honestly believe you could just vacation at that resort and not even go to the parks and still stay busy. It is such a hidden gem! And ok, there was this show on the Disney Channel in the 90s (late 90s) called Bug Juice and it was like a reality show for kids based on this summer camp, and I always think of that when I'm at Fort Wilderness, haha.

I looked up Bob's schedule for when we're there in January and it says he'll be out recovering from surgery??!! I hope he's ok!

Congratulations to Gina!! That is so exciting!!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Doing some quick catch up right now!

Congratulations to Gina on getting into the DCP! You guys must already have so much planned, I can't wait to hear on what you end up doing or have in store when you visit!

Ahhh, the Royal Guest Rooms are perf. I totally need to stay in them next time I'm in Disney, it would be a dishonor to mah gurl Tia.

I was so glad to hear that FoF didn't get rained out. And just saying, it seems like all the fur characters at the end of the parade weren't in their FoF garb because Daisy and Donald usually have on a nice ensemble like Mickey and Minnie. Anyways, Flynn that day was looking especially gorgeous. Love the video with the Mad Hatter! He is hysterical and the way he says "You're welcome." OMG, too funny!

Love the Pascal pins (I cannot find them ANYWHERE anymore) and your outfit is lovely. The "clown" fishnets did work well in your favor and they totally fit your personality, very vibrant

Mmmmm, Trail's End does look good, but OMFG HOW IN THE WORLD DID GINA EAT THAT MUCH?! I would've self-imploded if I had that much. Wow. Major props to her.

The Chip and Dale campfire singalong looks adorable. Personally, I would've booked it to Chip, but to each his own. The whole experience does look super fun (<3 'Smores) and HERCULES OMG YES

I need to get on this Bob Jackson fandom train. Hopefully my DCP will remedy that, if and when it happens. *crossing fingers always*

Can't wait to hear about your first day on the cruise!

 

[Sisa]

Double Pascal pin...SCORE!!!!

Awe hula Minnie and Mickey with their babies, adorable!

That Poly beach, I'd love to be sitting there right now.

The buffet at Trail's End looks awesome! I am now reconsidering my ADRs, thank you very much

I think I will have to add Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing Along to our must dos as well. I love all the pictures and how detailed you are.

Disney Cruise...cannot wait to read about this!!!!!

 

[khaleesi]

So glad you got all those Tangled-themed pins! I remember you talking on one of your TRs about how much you wanted them!

I would love to do the campfire with Chip and Dale!!! Sounds fun!!!

 

[princess_momma]

I just love your TR's and enthusiasm. You don't have to write every one of them, but please don't ever stop writing because they are amazing! LOL

So excited for Gina doing the college program and SO EXCITED for the cruise portion!

 

[cindianne320]

Can't wait to hear about the cruise!!! And I loved hearing all about FW. I will definitely have to make time for that in the near future!

 

[EnchantedFairy]

I was so excited to see another TR of yours up and running! I feel like you already did and saw so much before we've even heard about the cruise yet! We are FINALLY getting to our first WDW vacation this May, staying in a Royal Room so I was pumped to read that part of your stay. Hope the new year is finding you well, can't wait to read more!

 

[ElsasMom]

Can't wait to hear about the cruise! I sail on the Dream in 40 days

 

[__disneygirl]

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated since November, but life, you know? I have to say, I don't have many complaints over here right now. In the life of Lia, things are completely not like I thought they would be and that ended up being a good thing. Again: LIFE! Preeeettty crazy.

As for the other fabulous stars of this report, Jess has just returned from her Disneyland College Program which was pretty much the best experience of her entire life. She was a Jungle Cruise Skipper at DISNEYLAND!!! I mean... coolest thing ever for a Disney fan. Gina is leaving for her Disney World College Program in... a week or so. OH MY GOD IT'S CRAZY. I can't wait to see how Gina's program will unfold and I am so excited to see where Jess's already awesome Disney career is going next. Bob Dylan sure knew what he was talkin' about, the times they are a'changin! So proud of them both!!!

So there's the present/future. Let's focus on the past, which is always an extremely healthy thing to do! In April JESS AND I WENT ON A DISNEY CRUISE! ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THIS MAJOR MOMENT IN OUR DISNEY OBSESSED LIVES?! Because it was like THE BEST and I have banked up a lot of updates for you all to be coming out on the regular!!! ENJOY!

APRIL 10, 2014
Day 4, Part 1 In Which WE GO ON A FREAKING DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!!!!!!!!! W H A T

Good morning!!! Jess and I woke up today jumping out of our skin because in a few hours we would be BOARDING THE DISNEY DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I tell you I really couldn't believe this was happening, whew. I mean it. TOO EXCITING FOR WORDS, but I guess I have to use words because I am writing about it.

I just had no idea what it was going to be like and all the anticipation was crazy. Jess and I kept discussing what would happen on the cruise, what we were going to do, etc, but as I said we didn't know what it would ACTUALLY be like. I think the excitement of seeing a new piece of the Walt Disney Company, for us diehards, was just crazy and we were on such a high.

But sadly, Gina was not coming on our cruise and she had to go home... or so we thought.

While we were all getting ready, Gina casually mentioned that since she didn't have to work, she could *technically* stay in Disney for the day while we went off to the cruise. She was like "I really shouldn't spend the money on an entirely new ticket... but I do get paid tomorrow... but no I really can't."

Jess and I just looked at each other and laughed! If you are looking for two people to convince you to be more responsible with your money by NOT spending it in Disney World, we are not the right audience for you. If you are looking for two people to convince you to let Disney consume your entire life, then congratulations YOU HAVE A WINNER!

Of course we told her that she absolutely had to spend the day in Walt Disney World. Someday we're gonna be old and have more responsibilities and we won't be able to just stay in Disney when we feel like it, and someday we're gonna be dead. Sorry but it's true, so like, eat the damn cake and stay the day in Disney. That's what I always say. In general when people come to me with their problems I just tell them to go to Disney World. It's always helped me, anyway.

It's pretty cool that soon Gina won't have to make these decisions because she will be LIVING IN DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing.

So no big deal but then it was time for us to LEAVE FOR PORT CANAVERAL! We said goodbye to Gina which sucked but in a few short months we would have another trip together.

And duh, of course, Gina stayed the Day and went to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. P.S. Remember the super drunk people from the night before when we went to see Bob?! She ran into them in the parks! She told me that once we got off the cruise a few days later and our phones worked again, and I thought it was just about the funniest thing I had ever heard.

We took a quick picture.. I love how this came out!

See ya real soon, Gina!

Jess and I stopped at Dunkin and it took SO LONG! Maybe it was just a slow day or new person or something, but I'm always amused by how much slower things in the south usually go. Up here, I don't think I've ever been in a Dunkin Donuts for more than one minute at a time LOL.

On the way I checked out our Disney Cruise guide! So cute.

Here I have to give another BIG thanks to Jess for arranging everything for this cruise. I probably would not have spent the money and went all out booking a cruise for my birthday if not for her, the CM discount, etc. I'm really thankful that I was able to basically just get on a plane. THANK YOU PRINCESS.

Here's an attractive selfie of me

It took about an hour to get to Port and it was the most fun little road trip... just two girls jamming to Hanson and talking about life on the way to our Disney Cruise, you know, whatever.

We started FREAKING OUT as soon as we could see the Disney Dream.

It was completely surreal to me that we would be BOARDING A CRUISE SHIP AND SAILING AWAY WITH MICKEY AND THE GANG.

LIKE THIS WAS NO JOKE.

I mean, some people had booked this cruise a year or more ahead of time, and we booked ours 12 days before I left. What a whirlwind!

Thanks to Jess for these closeups *hearts in eyes emoji*

I read a lot about where to park and stuff, which lots were cheap but still safe, etc. Ultimately it's Jess's car so I let her make the decision and she really wasn't comfortable parking anywhere but the main parking deck right next to the port. It was $30, which we didn't think was bad at all! I know here on the DIS a lot of people swear by the lots nearby that are like $7 or whatever, but we felt comfortable with that price knowing that Brooke would be okay. I mean, I guess of course things still happen, but yeah obviously the closer you are to the action, the less chance you have of something bad happening.

WE'RE HERE!

The guy who took that picture for us was a really nice security guard that we clicked with quickly, I'll spare any details to protect him, cause he tried to tell us how to get out of paying for parking LOL. We ended up just forking over the $30, but it was nice of him to give us that tip and many others! I can't remember what else he helped us with, but I remember he was around for awhile and overall I was just feeling the love for Port Canaveral security!

So the first thing you do before getting on the ship is go into the terminal where you go through security, the same kind of process as getting on an airplane.

Then you have to check in like you would at a resort, but you need more ID. I don't have a passport, and it wasn't required because you don't need one for the bahamas if you're a US citizen. However, they did say to bring my birth certificate in addition to my license, and yes I DID need it. They give you your stateroom keys here and use that to identify you the rest of the cruise.

Also, Olaf was there.

@babybritney: ALL CHECKED IN FOR OUR DISNEY CRUISE AND OLAF IS IN THE TERMINAL

WARM HUGS FOR EVERYONE.

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really couldn't believe my birthday week. I mean. What even. So thankful.

So many little Disney details. This was on a chair.

I should probably mention that everyone has a boarding time and you should try and get the earliest one because obviously, more time on the ship is awesome! We booked late though so our boarding time was a bit later.

If you want to nearly die of excitement, walk through this big Mickey head on your way to your Disney Cruise. OH MY GOD I CAN NOT EXPLAIN IT. We were like jumping up and down.

AHH

The sheer size of the ship was really awe-inspiring for me. Like I said, I've never been on a cruise before, so I was just taking it in. I've also been obsessed with Titanic since I was a kid, even down to like the structure of the ship and things like that, so I've really been waiting to experience something like this a long time. Obviously, the Titanic is the last thing you should be thinking about when boarding a ship because, yikes. But I couldn't help it! I couldn't stop comparing the size in my head, seeing a ship this huge up close and imagining...well... that kind of disaster. I mean, I wasn't thinking about it from a scared perspective, just general fascination of ships. I'm weird. I've just been so interested in the whole thing for years so actually being on a ship was surreal for that reason too, on top of all the normal-person first Disney cruise happiness of a vacation. Yeah, this is my warped mind, thinking about this in between meeting First Mate Goofy and stuffing my face at the buffet. It kept blowing my mind, honestly, and so did the fact that we were in the middle of the ocean but I'm getting ahead of myself here. Whew.

THERE WERE JUST MANY ELEMENTS OF INTEREST FOR ME ON THIS CRUISE OKAY?!

Boarding boarding boarding!

It was so amazing to go through the final section of boarding and then be in the lobby. OH MY GOD. A line of Cast Members greeted us and one asked what our names were. I told them and using a microphone they announced, "WELCOME ABOARD LIA AND JESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and everyone cheered. It was so adorable and we were so happy.

We really wanted to explore the ship, but we had our stuff with us and everything so we just wanted to get to our stateroom and drop everything off first. So off to the elevators we went!

Happy Jess!

Warning: on your Disney Cruise, you will forget which way to go when you get off the elevator like 7,000 times. But that's okay because you're on a FREAKING DISNEY CRUISE SO WHO CARES ABOUT ANYTHING!

On our way!

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[renderman7]

welcome back

Life will find a way to mess up plans, but I am glad you are back, your trip reports are amazing.

Just reading about how excited your were for the cruise and that ecstatic smile from Jess makes the cruise look amazing, I may have to book one now

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh wow, I had no idea Jess was doing a DCP in Disneyland!!! In fact, I didn't even know there was a DCP in Disneyland. How cool. And John Lasseter did say that Jungle Cruise skipper is the best job in Disney. And Gina's just getting ready to start. Fantastic!

This is so exciting. I've never had any desire whatsoever to do a cruise. Just no interest. BUT, a Disney Cruise... yeah, that might fit. I would be the same way; I'll pay the extra for parking for at least a little more peace of mind. A year later you don't even really remember it (unless you're writing a trip report of course ).

I'll be honest Lia. There is no way I could do a cruise of any kind and NOT think of the Titanic. Not because I'm morbid or anything though. It just happens to be the most famous ship ever.

I think at least Magic Kingdom should adopt the welcome announcement. Yes it would slow entry down significantly, but seriously... HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE??? Yeah, I want to be cheered for arriving in Magic Kingdom.

And you know what makes this whole saga truly special? The fact that you two met right here on DISboards and are taking a cruise together as result. You gotta love the power of that Mouse.

 

[Credit Man]

Yeah for an update and finally on board the ship. Bon Voyage, now lets get to the buffet!!!

 

[Neeny17]

Yay! Welcome back! Great update the ship looks AMAZING.

 

[__disneygirl]

welcome back

Life will find a way to mess up plans, but I am glad you are back, your trip reports are amazing.

Just reading about how excited your were for the cruise and that ecstatic smile from Jess makes the cruise look amazing, I may have to book one now

Thank you so much!

You should book one. I would recommend them to anyone! Well, maybe if you hated Disney you'd go a little mad

Oh wow, I had no idea Jess was doing a DCP in Disneyland!!! In fact, I didn't even know there was a DCP in Disneyland. How cool. And John Lasseter did say that Jungle Cruise skipper is the best job in Disney. And Gina's just getting ready to start. Fantastic!

This is so exciting. I've never had any desire whatsoever to do a cruise. Just no interest. BUT, a Disney Cruise... yeah, that might fit. I would be the same way; I'll pay the extra for parking for at least a little more peace of mind. A year later you don't even really remember it (unless you're writing a trip report of course ).

I'll be honest Lia. There is no way I could do a cruise of any kind and NOT think of the Titanic. Not because I'm morbid or anything though. It just happens to be the most famous ship ever.

I think at least Magic Kingdom should adopt the welcome announcement. Yes it would slow entry down significantly, but seriously... HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE??? Yeah, I want to be cheered for arriving in Magic Kingdom.

And you know what makes this whole saga truly special? The fact that you two met right here on DISboards and are taking a cruise together as result. You gotta love the power of that Mouse.

Yeah, she was there about 4 months over the holidays! Check out her Instagram, some amazing amazing memories on there.

Oh you would love a Disney Cruise, no doubt about it! You'll see once this TR gets going more. And yes the extra money totally worth the peace of mind.

THANK YOU!!! Not to mention we were on the cruise during the anniversary of when the Titanic sank. That did not help with my "Imagine if this ship started sinking!!!!!!!" thoughts lol.

Yes that would cause quite the build up... I think you need to go on the cruise to have your experience! (Yeah, i'm gonna convince you by the end of this TR )

Ahh isn't it crazy?! We wouldn't even know each other without this website. I'm so happy we found each other!

Yeah for an update and finally on board the ship. Bon Voyage, now lets get to the buffet!!!

That was literally one of the first things we did

Yay! Welcome back! Great update the ship looks AMAZING.

Thank you! It's beyond, you'll see once I post more pictures! So stunning!

 

[__disneygirl]

APRIL 10, 2014
Day 4, Part 2 In Which We Eat Our First Epic Meal of The Cruise!​

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HERE WE ARE!!!

Stateroom 8536, our home for the next few days! I love traveling with Jess cause she takes the best room pictures. I mean, other reasons too, but mostly that.

I love the blend of nautical and Disney details.

Always good to have your main man on your bed.

I loved the detail on the lamps.

We had a verandah which was the COOLEST THING EVER and 150,000% worth the price. Honestly if it wasn't for Jess's CM discount, and I was just booking a cruise on my own, I probably would have been like "Let me just get on this cruise, I don't care about having a verandah." No. CARE ABOUT HAVING A VERANDAH. Especially when you're in the middle of the ocean, oh my God, so amazing. But in general, just being able to open the door and go outside while on your cruise is great. The views are breathtaking. Actually, the one thing I really wish I did differently on this trip is just spend more time out there, maybe reading or something. Even just sitting there and reflecting. This vacation was a whirlwind and we did SO much, I wish I had taken a few more minutes to just calm down.

We had to take a couple pictures out there before we left Port of course.

Stateroom selfies

Then it was time to explore the ship, YAY! We were extremely hungry though, so Deck 11 was to be our first mission so that we could visit the ever-famous buffet Cabanas!

They have these awesome moving portraits all over the ship that are sense motion, so once they catch your attention and you come over to them, they come to life!

Up to Deck 11, location of Cabanas, the main pool areas, the Aquaduck, a coffee shop with awesome pictures of Walt inside, aaand I can't remember what else? I went on this cruise 9 months ago.

Cabanas' lunch buffet was really awesome. Here's my plate:

And Jess's plate

The food was very good. The same did not go for breakfast, but that's a story for later! I actually think this first lunch at Cabanas was one of my favorite meals the entire time. We were SO excited about the food. Excuse me, UNLIMITED food. That was one of the things we could not stop talking about leading up to this cruise. As much food as you can stand all day every day?! What kind of heaven was this?

Overall my opinion of the food on the ship would be mixed, but this first meal was awesome. That probably has a lot to do with all the build up and excitement as well, though.

Any restaurant with Finding Nemo mosaics is a place I want to be.

Mr. Ray!

The Finding Nemo theme is awesome, but I wish they had a Little Mermaid themed restaurant too!

They also have sandcastle art of all the Disney Parks across the world. Tokyo Disneyland is our dream vacation!

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