The Tale of the Grow Walk ….Hunh? photo Report

[jenseib]

We arrived at Toy Story Mania and I think it was actually a little before the FP was to open on according to the app, but later than my scheduled time.

I told the CM that my time had jumped several times today and I am not sure if it is going to let us in. She had no expression at all and told us to scan and see. I suppose she was used to seeing issues with this all day long and tired of people telling her about them.

We scanned and it turned green! YAY! We were in!

 

 

I think we still had a 15-20 minute wait in the FP line but much faster than standby.

 

 

 

 

We had a great time as always. Neither of us are very good at it, but I usually beat Claire and then she complains about it.

 

 

 

 

 

She would ride this over and over if the line wasn’t so dang long. I really hope when they add the 3rd track, which I have heard will be used exclusively for Fastpasses, that it really makes it much easier to get on in a timely fashion.

 

 

We decided we had done all we wanted to at DHS and headed towards the front of the park.

 

 

Stopping for a few photopass pictures along the way.

 

 

 

OOPS…I blinked.

 

 

 

I love you baby!!!!

 

 

Magic shot time.

 

 

 

 

We made our way to the parking tram.

 

 

Again I really hate driving to the parks. I love how the bus drops me off and picks me up much better.

 

Good bye Hollywood Studios…..Little did I know at that moment that I would be back there in Aug.

 

 

We then headed out to the POC car and programmed Siri to get us to the Magic Kingdom.

 

We headed out and towards the Magic Kingdom…with Siri leading the way. Boy…what a back-up. Slow going to get to the MK.

We work our way to the gate and are told there is no parking at MK left and we need to head to Epcot. I had later heard that the park was at full capacity and not letting anyone in, so even if we did go over to Epcot they would’ve not let us in at MK. I wish they just would’ve said that to begin with. If I had taken the monorail over to MK only to be refused I would’ve been quite mad.

We decided that since we couldn’t park at MK we would head over towards the Yacht and Beach Club and maybe get a bite to eat and then decide what to do after that.

I drove over and entered the YC. When asked what I was planning I told them we were going to Beaches and Cream and then walking around to explore the resorts. He scanned my band and told me that I didn’t have a resort reservation currently showing up…I went to tell him no, we were staying offsite…when he goes “Oh you are one of our annual pass holders, well thank you so much, come on in”. LOL! I wasn’t about to say no for fear he would tell me I couldn’t go in and park. LOL.

 

We did have to park a little ways out, but it wasn’t too bad, and we then headed towards the YC.

 

 

 

 

 

I was a bit hungry…after all sharing that pizza meal didn’t fill me up. Claire was not and she did not want to go to Beaches and Cream now. I am not sure why as just a few minutes ago she had wanted to. I didn’t feel like arguing though so we decided to head towards Epcot and I would find something to eat there.

 

 

 

And it was CROWDED!!!!! Shuffle shuffle shuffle……

 

 

We would try to pass people but it was a no go. Claire kept saying they were doing the grow walk. Hunh? What’s the grow walk? Well she explained it perfectly. It’s when you try to pass people or a party of people and they suddenly expand in size and you can no longer get around them. Made perfect since and this whole trip we had been following a lot of Grow Walkers. We also went on to include others in the Grow Walk Category. Those who stop in front of you all of a sudden. Those who stop and turn right around and walk into you. Those with strollers who ram into the back of you. You do NOT want to be a grow walker!

 

Since they have added booths to the Flower and Garden Festival I decided I might try some food from one of those. Claire however decided she needed popcorn. I told her once we got near a popcorn stand I would get her some, but first I was looking for something for me in the meantime. She was pretty close to dying as you can see in the next picture.

 

 

I thought this was a neat picture of Peter Pan.

 

 

I got something in the UK booth. I don’t remember what it was but I know the description did not describe it like this and basically I had no clue what I was ordering but it sounded good. I was really surprised when this came out.

 

 

I have to say taste wise it was just ok, but it did fill an empty spot in my stomach.

 

 

We moved on and found popcorn in Canada. Of course the line was long and slow, but Claire was willing to wait.

 

A happy girl now.

 

 

Typically we just walk by Canada and never explore. Today, since it was so crowded, we decided to dive in deeper and take a look around. I don’t think I have ever gone back here before…..or if I have it’s been many many years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

We really didn’t have a desire to go see the movie so we just stood around and took in the scenery, with me taking pictures and Claire eating her snack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got her to pose…sort of.

 

 

[jenseib]

I must say it was kind of peaceful back there and it was a happy memory for us. We didn’t do anything, but it was neat to see the area and just chill without 5 zillion other people around us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed up towards the front. We were going to have to ride Spaceship Earth eventually as Claire just loves it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spotted Phineas and Ferb topiaries. Our first time seeing those I believe.

 

 

 

 

As we walked towards the front we saw this very cute topiary display that we had missed on our first day here. And today they had a photopass photographer there to take pictures. I told Claire we were stopping and she said she did not want her picture taken….and I told her if she didn’t then we weren’t riding spaceship earth!

We got in line…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it was our turn I told the photographer that I had a resistor with me. He was super nice and tried to make Claire smile….she really was fighting it though.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to call out to her encouraging words but it wasn’t working.

 

 

After that Claire mentioned that we had not been to Club Cool yet. I have known about this place for years but we never ventured in till our last trip and Claire loved trying all the different drinks. Since we were thirsty and the day had gone from cool to kind of hot, this was a good time to stop in.

 

 

 

 

Somebody next to use was telling her child to try different ones and I helped with the encouragement….and said “try the Beverly!” I winked at the mom and she laughed and of course the kid found it disgusting. Then the mom tried it just to see and started gagging. It’s not my favorite, but I don’t think it is so bad as you need to gag. LOL! I can tolerate it at least.

 

 

Claire found a few she liked and she took several samples of them.

 

 

Since we were doing slower things and not in any rush, I decided to take Claire on something she has never been on and something that has been years since I have done…..

We headed in that direction next.

 

 

But we made a quick stop so Claire could run through the mist.

 

 

 

Let’s move on.

 

 

And then we approached Epcot’s most exciting ride EVER!!!

 

 

Ok, I might have just lied a little bit there.

 

Claire has never been on Ellen and it has been many many years for me and it is a good spot to cool off (take a nap) and rest on a crowded day.

 

 

 

We did have to wait a little bit before we were let inside.

 

Claire is so excited….OK, she was hamming it up a bit.

 

 

Finally we were let in and we found a spot.

 

 

It wasn’t busy at all. It started and soon most of the story came back to me.

We went to the tram and I swear I remembered more parts in the dinosaur section. That part was much shorter than I remembered. All in all it was pretty boring and neither of us was impressed with it at all. But it was something Claire had never done and we were not fighting crowds and we had a good rest off our feet. I have to admit I was fighting sleep the whole time and was half tempted to lay across our bench seat as best I could and snooze.

[bert425]

Need to know as well!

 

Coming up!!!

 

hehe. .thanks.

 

 

(and I'm one to talk. .haven't even STARTED our Cruise report and been home over a week now!).

[jenseib]

Need to know as well!

 

Coming up!!!

 

hehe. .thanks.

 

 

(and I'm one to talk. .haven't even STARTED our Cruise report and been home over a week now!).

 

Tha't ok....It's hard to do everything and of course you have to have the post trip blues for a while too.

[jenseib]

It was now time for Spaceship Earth.

 

 

Claire had it all planned out. Remember on our first ride a few days ago I wore my sunglasses and it gave me the look of no eyes in the picture? Claire was convinced she needed to have no eyes as well so we both put our sunglasses on for the picture this time.

 

We sat back and relaxed and I basically didn’t take many pictures this time around since I have so many of Spaceship Earth already.

 

 

A side note…I saw on facebook that someone had dressed up as this girl for Halloween. LOL!!!!

 

Time for our Future!

 

 

Once again I had no eyes….but it didn’t work for Claire and she was so disappointed.

 

 

The 2 of us up on the big screen.

 

 

Once we were done we decided it was time to find something to eat and maybe then leave and head back to the hotel.

 

 

We found another photopass photographer and decided to stop.

 

 

The sun was starting to go down and the temps were dropping so our jackets were back on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always love how the park looks during flower and garden.

 

 

I think we went this way to make a potty stop. I also think once we got around Norway we stopped and called Skip. He was flying down the next day and I had to make sure he knew what he was doing. And of course he asks? How do I get to the airport? Um ask your mom or one of your brothers? He was flying from Toledo airport, which is literally 10 minutes from our home. It wasn’t like someone was going out of their way to take him. And I had told him before to make arrangements, but he said I never told him that.

 

Soon it was getting dark.

 

 

 

It was now crazy busy in the park and we stopped at a couple of restaurants that typically are not as busy and asked if they had any openings and none did. I was shocked and kind of kicking myself for not making an ADR this day…but then again I never expected to be in Epcot today either. We decided to keep moving and just get something to eat at the Beach Club.

 

 

 

Well Claire had an idea….let’s do pick a pearl….Ok, but this is out of your money….which was fine with her.

 

 

It was busy in there but we paid and got our number and watched and waited.

 

Someone else’s pearl.

 

 

We got to talking to a Mom and her daughter and the daughter had done it something like 8 plus times this trip. She just loved doing it and was spending all of her spending money right here. I thought that was funny.

 

Finally we were called and Claire picked her oyster.

 

 

 

 

They always do this with so much fanfare and I usually can’t understand a word they say. LOL.

 

 

 

We were hoping for a blue one, but no such luck. A girl a few people ahead of us got a gorgeous blue one and Claire was praying hers would be too. But in the end she was still happy.

 

 

 

I no longer remember the size, but I think it was 7 something.

 

 

 

 

Claire’s pearl is still in the bag. We have yet to get a necklace cage to put it in. Maybe I should buy one for Xmas for her?

 

After all that fun we headed out and spotted another photopass photographer.

 

 

 

 

We were now getting hungry so we headed out of Epcot over the BC to the Marketplace there to find some dinner.

 

 

While we browsed the selections I took a picture of the new mugs.

 

 

We ordered the flatbread pizza to share. Yes, it was our 2nd pizza of the day.

 

 

And I believe we shared the clam chowder as well.

 

 

After we finished our food we headed back to the car and made our way back to the Marriott once again.

We got ourselves ready for bed once again. I don’t remember, but there might have been a quick swim for Claire before calling it a night.

We only had 1 more day at Disney World and that was kind of sad, but our vacation wasn’t over yet….we still had much more fun in store.

[jenseib]

March 27, 2014, Day 7, Thursday

 

Today was our last park day. Skip was flying in later today into Sanford so we were going to have to pick up him as well. That meant less time in the parks than we would like, but it is what it is….and Claire was super excited to have her Daddy coming.

 

Today we were going to Animal Kingdom. I figured this would be a good day to go since we usually do not spend a whole day there anyways.

 

I got up and got ready and took some pictures again this morning. I finally walked out on the balcony off our room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire was going to have to move over to the pull out sofa bed tonight….she felt that her Dad should sleep there since he hadn’t been with us all week, but I told her he probably wouldn’t agree.

 

 

This was our closet….I had some shirts in there drip drying.

 

 

Microwave in the kitchenette.

 

 

I think this was the fridge….and I must’ve ironed something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe this is the dishwasher in the main kitchen area.

 

 

We used this quite a bit.

 

 

Once ready we headed out. I think Mom and dad were going to my Aunts house today. She has a place in Florida about an hour or 2 away and my dad likes to visit them when they go to Florida. My aunt and uncle only spend winters in Florida and they actually live only ½ mile from my parents’ house.

 

We saw this gator outside and we took a picture for Skip. We have 2 of these are our farm and it always feels like home when we see one somewhere else.

 

 

Next stop… Animal Kingdom.

 

 

Doesn’t look like the crowds have lessened….does it?

 

As we entered AK, we found a photopass photographer outside and stopped for a few.

 

 

She was new and didn’t know anything about magic shots.

 

 

We found another one that did and she took a magic shot for us.

 

 

We asked about the box with Stitch coming out of it. She knew what we were talking about but unfortunately she didn’t have the box to do it.

 

So we headed inside. EXCEPT…..my band once again did not scan. It said I had no park days left. UGH! A manager was called over and I told her today was our last day, she asked how many times we have been to MK…I had to think about it…and then told her..and she said ok. The reason she asked is because the band had a record of everywhere we went and she was making sure it was mine and not someone else’s. She reset the band again…I believe this was reset number 3 now. And we were let in.

 

 

And found another photopass photographer.

 

 

 

Not sure why Claire always looks in a different direction, but she is famous for doing that.

 

 

 

She was a little perkier with the magic shot.

 

 

Except here where she has creepy eyes.

 

 

With those shots done we went on our way.

 

 

 

 

We had a fastpass for the safari…and that off in the distance….is the fastpass line….YES the FP line was CRAZY LONG!

 

 

HOLY SHITAKI MUSHROOMS!

I think I posted on facebook something on the lines of…..I hate fastpass plus …..at that moment.

 

We still had some time before our window opened so we decided to hit the Pangani trail for a bit to waste some time.

 

 

We didn’t go too far in and I started worrying about how long the line would take us just to get to the scanning post. We had things timed for the day somewhat and if we ran too late it wouldn’t all work out…well it probably would, but I panicked. So we headed back and got in line.

 

 

And believe it or not, it went very fast and we actually got to the post about 5 minutes before the open window…we scanned and got the green light and were good to go. Once we got inside it was clear sailing and next to no wait at all. The reason for the backed up line outside…..people don’t know how to scan and people were arriving way too early. That was stopping people up at the scanning post. Those who were too early weren’t going to move till their time opened up….even if it was 10 – 15 minutes later. LOL. And then many people just had issues with it scanning, laying it wrong on the scanner or the wrong side, etc. I am not saying I am perfect either…I was there 5 minutes early…but once you start scanning….like to get in the park….you kind of get the jest of it….that is if your band actually shows you have tickets.

 

Soon we were ready to board our truck.

 

 

We settled in with our driver.

 

 

And I tried for an artsy shot.

 

 

Or 2.

 

[gisco]

I fell behind on this thread and it took me close to an hour to catch up!

[Teacups Make Me Sick]

Hi-ya Jen! As always, I love to read your reports.

 

Just as an FYI....that photo of the cats inside the Pirates of the Caribbean, the shadows that the cats cast is a hidden Mickey! One of my favorites and have not been able to get a shot of that myself.

 

Can't wait to see the cruise portion of your report!

[jenseib]

I fell behind on this thread and it took me close to an hour to catch up!

 

LOL. That's ok. I am so behind myself. Who knew being a Grandmother would take so much time. LOL

[jenseib]

Hi-ya Jen! As always, I love to read your reports.

 

Just as an FYI....that photo of the cats inside the Pirates of the Caribbean, the shadows that the cats cast is a hidden Mickey! One of my favorites and have not been able to get a shot of that myself.

 

Can't wait to see the cruise portion of your report!

 

HI!!!

 

Now I have to go back and look at the picture... I never heard that one.

[jenseib]

Time for a Safari!

 

 

 

It was very busy out there today and many times we had to stop as there were traffic jams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is a truck from the safari trek?

 

 

I have always wanted to take a picture like this and it just worked out that I saw Claire in the mirror….and she saw me aiming at it and posed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a little nosey visitor come our way.

 

 

 

 

And here’s the shot everyone wants….and elephant going poo!

 

 

 

 

 

This guy was flapping his ears…..so cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cheetahs were way in back and I tried to zoom in on them.

 

 

What??? No lions?

 

 

Aha! There’s one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jenseib]

Continuing our Safari.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying for another one of those mirrored shots….didn’t quite work out this time.

 

 

And then we were done. It was a nice ride. We made our way out and hit the restrooms and then found some entertainment as well.

 

 

 

And we were hungry, so we made our way to get lunch.

 

 

 

We both like Pizzafari and I know it is a place that Claire will eat at without grumbles so that was our choice today.

 

 

If you are keeping track…that’s Claire’s 3rd pizza meal in a row. Claire’s came with a salad and mine chips if I remember right and we traded.

 

 

I was wise and got myself a sandwich though. I swear these are smaller than they used to be.

 

 

 

 

With lunch done, we headed back out into the crowds.

 

 

 

And we saw a dance party going on….I have never seen this before at AK, so we stopped briefly and took some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dance party was pretty much ending when we got there and we headed off once again.

 

 

 

 

We had a fastpass for the Nemo show. Believe it or not…we have never seen this show before. We got in the FP line and sat around and waited to be let in. I noticed Everest had a car stuck. That was the highlight for all of us in line as we waited.

 

 

It did start moving again after a bit.

 

Soon we were let in and we made our way very close to the front and sat next to the part of the stage that juts out.

 

 

 

 

 

The show started. I wasn’t sure if we would like it or not. I had heard that some people have issues with the people running the puppets. Never fear, we didn’t have that issue and REALLY enjoyed the show.

 

 

 

 

Of course I took about a zillion pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nemo is captured!!!!

[jenseib]

Marlon meets Dory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the sharks were great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The show props and scenery were really great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Dory and Marlon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crush was also amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

I really love this next picture for some reason.

 

 

 

 

I have to admit, I was leery going in about songs added to this, but all in all, I enjoyed most of them.

 

 

 

 

Continuing on with more pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as we all know, Nemo escapes and lives happily ever after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was such an enjoyable show and I don’t know what took us so long to come and see it. It was a winner in our eyes.

[gisco]

I saw the show for the first time this year too. My granddaughter loved the bubbles.

[jenseib]

I saw the show for the first time this year too. My granddaughter loved the bubbles.

 

 

We really enjoyed it. I am so glad we finally made time to see it.

[jenseib]

After the Nemo show we hung back a bit before exiting with the crowds. Once we did we started to make our way towards Everest, which was our next FP.

 

 

 

 

 

We decided we should make a potty stop before going on the ride.

 

 

The line was crazy long and Claire was doing the pee pee dance. We noticed the family bathroom off to the side and only 1 person was waiting there so we headed over to wait for that one.

 

 

We got in there MUCH faster and Claire was all smiles again.

 

We then headed back over towards Everest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FP line moved fairly fast, though it was pretty full too.

 

 

 

This has become one of Claire’s favorite rides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ride was fun and we had a surprise….The Yeti Moved! I have never seen him move EVER. Claire and I both noticed it as did others on our train. I posted it to a facebook group where someone argued till they were blue in the face that it didn’t move. I guess with in the first year of Everest being built the Yeti was too big and broke some major support beam. Supposedly since then he has never actually moved but they put strobe lights on him occasionally to give him the appearance of moving. I suspect some part of this story is correct, but I am pretty sure he has moved off and on over the years too, though the last few I have not heard any reports of it. This was NOT strobe lights. His arm actually reached down at us. However not a full reach like I have seen on tv specials. I will swear this till I am blue as well. LOL. There were other reports of him moving the same week I was there as well.

There were a lot of stars in the parks the week we were there (and they were filming the Disney episode of the Middle while we were there as well), so I am not sure if he was moving for that reason or not. But he definitely had some movement and we were super excited to see it.

 

Our photopass picture. Love the people in front of us!

 

 

After that fun ride I tried to talk Claire into going back on using the single rider line. Of course she was much too young to go by herself…at least in her mind. I tried to explain that we would be in line together and I would go first and wait at the end for her, but she wouldn’t do it.

 

We decided to head over to Dinoland then and ride the Triceratops. That too had quite the line, but I think we got on in about 20 minutes or so.

 

 

I took lots of pictures from the sky as Claire steered us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that ride we needed to get a drink.

 

 

 

It was getting close to the parade time and we were NOT going to miss this for anything. The parade was ending in the summer, much to our disappointment. We had to see it one last time. This is our favorite current running parade and I was so sad they were going to take it away. I had hoped they would bring the Christmas version back for the Holidays, but sadly it was not.

 

We made our way to find a spot for the parade.

 

 

 

We ran into a few characters leaving their meet and greet.

 

 

 

We found a spot and Claire drank her slushie.

 

 

And I had a Mickey Bar.

 

 

We still had a bit of time to wait, so we talked to the people around us.

 

 

There was a lady who arrived a little late but sat behind the line of people. She had a little one with her, and I told her to bring her right up next to me as there was enough room for just her if she didn’t mind. I told her I would be taking pictures, but a little one next to me wouldn’t be in the way. The little girl loved it and I was happy to help.

 

It was still crazy busy.

 

[jenseib]

While we waited they brought some birds by for us to look at.

 

 

 

 

 

And this bird did not want to be left out of the fun.

 

 

 

 

Soon it was time for the parade to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just can’t express enough how much I love this parade! The music is awesome and the floats are great. I will really miss it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to admit…I may have teared up a few times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MICKEY!!!!!

 

 

 

 

And with that the parade was over. We were so happy to have seen it one last time. We really are very sad it’s gone. I sometimes watch it on youtube. If you get a chance look up the last performance on May 31st. You can see the CM’s are really putting their all in it and some are tearing up. I will admit that I watch it from time to time and have a good cry. Yep I am a total geek!

[TBpony414]

I've never seen the parade, what should I search on youtube exactly? It looks awesome!

[jenseib]

I've never seen the parade, what should I search on youtube exactly? It looks awesome!

 

 

I think Jammin Jungle parade will pull up several!

[jenseib]

With the parade over and all of our FP+’s of the day used we were going to head out and try to get over to MK for a short while before we had to go and pick up Skip from the airport. We started our walk to the front.

 

 

We found another photopass photographer and decided to stop.

 

 

 

Claire wasn’t feeling the roaring emotions that I was.

 

 

You can just see it in her face…..My mother is so embarrassing.

 

 

Goodbye Animal Kingdom

 

 

 

I believe we took the bus over to MK so that we wouldn’t have to worry about getting there in our car and then of course we would have to take the monorail over as well. I figured it would not be any faster for us to drive.

 

This bus is a VIP bus. We wondered if it was for the cast of the Middle that had been filming there all week. I don’t think I mentioned it much…but they were there and my parents actually saw them filming the part where they entered the park. I had a hometown friend at Disney as well and she also watched them film that segment and she took a few pictures and posted them on facebook. When the episode aired you can see her in the background walking.

 

 

How sad…our last moments in the MK.

 

 

 

We stopped off for some more pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire wanted to look and see if the store in Tomorrowland had the new version of the Disney infinity disc that someone had told us about. We were told to look through the rows of them and they were hidden in the back. So we made our way back there.

 

 

 

I also want to mention that we had been in contact with Skip off and on today. He did end up going to get a new birth certificate, which I was relieved about. He also bought 2 new pairs of dress pants to bring along. I had to forbid him to take anything out of his suitcase and I even talked to Paige, who at the time was living with us, and told her to make sure he had all his papers out and ready for when he went to the airport.

My last contact with him was when he was at the airport and all seemed to be going well.

 

 

Holy cow it’s open! I have NEVER seen it open before in my life! Ok maybe many years ago I did, but not in the last 10. I guess it means it’s extra busy if they opened it.

 

 

 

There was a dance party going on as we walked towards the store.

 

 

 

We headed into the store and sadly the new discs were not out, so my guess is they sold out or they weren’t supposed to be out and were pulled. Claire did buy a couple of infinity characters for her game though.

 

After the shopping we sat for a few minutes and watched the dance party from the side and then we decided we should eat before leaving since it could be very late before we found decent food again later.

And since the terrace was open that is where we decided to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went with the pasta Alfredo with chicken.

 

 

And chocolate cake.

 

 

And we enjoyed it very much.

 

 

 

Our view of the construction….and the Move it Shake parade off in the distance.

 

 

 

 

Time to move on.

 

 

We went off to the side and just kind of people watched and observed things. I think this is when I had my last call from Skip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We still had a little bit of time before rushing out so we made one more stop.

 

 

We got in line for Daisy and Minnie and if the posted time was right and the line kept moving we would have just enough time to see them before heading out. While in line we saw some families playing the same type of head bands game we had seen earlier in the trip. I couldn’t think of the name and I asked one family what it was called and they told me to just search hedbanz in the app store and we would find some free kid versions. So we did and I downloaded the app and we started playing. Why did it take the last line of the trip to realize we could’ve been playing this the whole time? It really made the time pass much faster and before we knew it we were ready to visit Daisy.

 

 

 

 

 

And Minnie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with time to spare and Claire felt the need to make one of those do it yourself pixie sticks so we stopped off at the candy store to do that.

 

 

 

With that we exited the park. We could’ve spent a little more time in there but I didn’t want to jinx myself and then have to wait for a long time for another bus to come and run late. Skip is not a patient person at all and he would call me over and over asking me where I was if I was late. I always try to allow for time to pick up bags and such when I pick someone up from the airport, but I think Skip has a magic power that makes them come out faster for him. LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

Another VIP bus.

 

 

And back to the AK to get our car.

 

 

We then programmed Siri to get us to Sanford and headed that way. It was now turning dark as we drove along and I recognized most of the route but as we got closer she took us a different way than usual. I think this road might be newer. It was pretty deserted….and dark and just looked newer. We came in from a side entrance rather than the main entrance we usually go in and out of. I noticed several cars parked in a lot across the street so I headed over and parked as well. It was kind of like a field with some areas stoned and there were at least 30 cars waiting there. We were a little early, so I got out and stretched for a little bit.

The time that he was to land came and went and I called his phone and it was still off. Ok, they must be a little late. I was messaging with my friend Deb and she went online to look and see if there was a delay. I don’t think she found one. We saw a plane coming in for landing and we wondered if it was his plane. Sure enough about a minute later my phone rang. He was about 15-25 minutes late if I remember right and he said they were a little late loading the plane.

 

I told him to call me when the bags were coming off and I would then make my way to pick him up.

Right then a police man came into the lot and whirled a siren and told us we were in a bus lot and we were all parked illegally and if we didn’t want to be arrested we would leave immediately. I thought that was a little harsh. ….So I took off driving and made the circle around the airport but Skip wasn’t out yet. I decided I would just keep circling since there did not seem to be a cell lot anywhere that I could find. This airport is typically easy to get in and out of but tonight it was crazy busy with traffic. As I circled around the 2nd time he called and asked where I was. I pulled up and he hopped in and asked for cigarettes because he didn’t pack any. UGH. This guy smokes like a chimney but relies on me to pack his cigarettes when we travel. He jumped back out and took Claire with him as his bags had not come through yet.

I had no spot to actually park legally so I went ahead and parked at the end of the curb. Sure enough a few minutes later the police came around and sirened me and announced over his loud speaker that I was parked illegally and had to move. Of course I couldn’t because he was in the way, his lights were in my mirror so I couldn’t see what was coming around the other side of him….and what I could see was a ton of cars. He kept telling me to move and I waved that I understood. But seriously, was he blind? I know I was by his light! LOL. But I just had to slowly creep out the best I could. I have never seen them so strict there patrolling the area. Of course we have never arrived at night there either. It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I circled again and Skip then calls and asked where I went. I told him I had to move and I was on my way back around.

Skip then takes Claire and his suitcase across the road…for no reason at all…to wait for me. This is not the area to stop and be picked up. This lane is for through traffic. UGH. So I stopped and he throws his case in the trunk and they jump in the car and I can mentally hear the cars behind us cussing us out.

 

Ok, let’s get the heck out of here.

We exit and he makes some comment about me going the wrong way and that we need to go by the gas station, which I pass. So I turn around and he asks why. I said because you wanted the gas station and I park there thinking he is going to buy cigarettes and a drink for the road. He often likes to stop and pick up a coke or something. Nope he wanted the road next to the gas station because he says we have taken that road before.

So we take the road against Siri’s recommendation and it’s a toll road that seems to have a both every mile. Ok, I might be exaggerating but it had a lot of tolls.

The whole trip back he talked all about his flight, his week without us etc….and if we didn’t answer within a half of second he would say Hunh? We just started laughing because every sentence ended in Hunh? Now he does this a lot but it was even worse than normal and I told him if he said Hunh one more time I was going to throw him overboard once we got on the ship….It never stopped….and still continues at home. Claire said we should get him a shirt for Christmas that says “Hunh?” on it so he doesn’t need to bother saying it. I told her it wouldn’t make a difference.

The lovely thing about driving with my husband is that 98% of the time I drive. He almost never drives when we go places together. Well at least behind the wheel. He certainly knows how to tell me how to drive from the passenger seat. And he did just that the whole way back. I was going too fast, too slow, I wasn’t going the right way, I missed the exit….which I have no clue how he would know since he has never been to this Marriott before. Yes, I was pretty sure I might murder him before the end of the trip.

Now I know he was excited to be finally down there with us and his vacation was just starting, so I did try to cut him a little slack. And Claire was just over the moon that he was now here and she was going to be able to show him all about Disney cruising. I just knew heads would clash at some point. He had ideas of how he wanted to spend time….with some relaxing. Claire had lots of ideas of activities she wanted to do with him…and I had the real plans….the ones people were supposed to follow!

 

We did tell Skip about the car and its lack of power and he noticed it too and we all just laughed. This car was such a piece of crap that it was just funny.

 

We made it back to the Marriott….and we were still all alive. No murders committed yet. Skip said hi to my parents who were settling in for the night. We made up the couch bed for Claire and we too all settled down since tomorrow was the big day. Claire was quite wound up. I know it was because she was so excited that her dad was now here, but we had to tell her to get to sleep more than once. Finally we all drifted off and got a decent night sleep!

[jenseib]

March 28, 2014, Friday, Day 8

 

Morning came and we packed up everything. I did put a few things in my Mom’s suitcase for her to take home to allow us a little more room for future purchases.

We were a little slow this morning, well the other 2 were. I was busy trying to get everything situated so that we could leave in a timely manner and not leave anything behind.

 

 

Mom had some breakfast items still, so I believe we each had a little something to give us some energy for the day.

 

Finally we loaded the car and said our good byes to my parents. They were heading to Legoland today and then tomorrow they were flying home.

We had a nice time with them and it is nice that they don’t feel the need to do everything with us or make us feel guilty about doing what we want to do.

 

----

 

Before I go further, I will discuss why we chose the Magic and this particular cruise. I really wanted a 4 or 5 night cruise. The thing was if we were to do one that long that meant we wouldn’t sail till Sunday or Monday. Now I am all for longer vacations, but it would also mean Claire was going to miss more school days. We were trying to avoid missing too many. I looked at other lines and even put a Princess cruise on hold. That was the only one that had dates that worked and it was for 5 days. The downside was it was out of Tampa. In the end Skip said he really wanted to see what all the fuss was about with Disney.

Skip also wanted to fly out of Toledo, which means he can only fly on Allegiant, which only flies a couple of days a week. They had a Thursday flight and the Magic sailed on Friday, so it worked out perfectly in that regards. I also was interested in seeing what they did with the Magic since the refurb. I knew a lot of things had been changed, but I also knew many things that should have been updated were not. I went into this cruise knowing it wasn’t a complete makeover of the ship but many things were improved. I also knew that there had been many complaints already about many of the staterooms. Some were leaking water, some had a smell to them, and some still looked like there balconies needed painting. It was kind of like Disney put lipstick on the rooms rather than starting with a good foundation before applying the rest of the makeup. Luckily I am pretty good with going with the flow and though I may not like things I still was going to make the best of it I could. And though I touched on some of the negative things, there were many more positive things about the ship than negative.

 

---- ---

 

We then headed towards the port. Again, Skip was trying to give me directions….because you know he knows how to get there even though he has never been there. He really hates that I use Siri and makes fun of me doing so many times…but she gets me where I need to go most times….or at least in the right direction.

 

Of course once we got going I pretty much knew the way. It’s a fairly straight shot once you get on the right road. Skip then asked me why I was driving instead of him. LOL! I know I said I always drive, but many times on vacation he actually does do the driving. I reminded him that I was the one to get the car and it was in my name, so he probably shouldn’t be driving…..Ah…good point!

 

Soon we were seeing the Magic off in the distance and ooh and ahhing over it. We got off at the right exit and went in and they checked our ID’s and we stopped to unload our luggage. I handed over a tip. Skip think’s it’s a rip off that you have to tip these guys. But unless you want to carry your bags on yourself and haul them around, it’s the right thing to do.

The guys were really helpful and told us where to go to park our car. This was a new one for me. In the past I have been dropped off at PC and picked up after the cruise and I have stayed at Residence Inn and used their Park and Cruise reservation and used the shuttle back and forth….but this was the first time we were parking in the garage at the port. I did do some investigating at parking offsite at a nearby lot, but in the end the savings wasn’t worth the hassle of getting there and back for us.

 

We pulled around and went into the garage and parked. Claire was doing the potty dance so we needed to find her a bathroom soon. We grabbed the rest of our things out of the car and made sure to put the key in a safe spot and went to find a bathroom.

Luckily there is one right there in the garage and we made use of it quickly and then proceeded to cross the street towards the terminal.

 

 

I rarely get many pictures outside the terminal because I am too excited to get in, so I did try to take a few more today.

 

 

 

Skip made a lot of dorky comments to us because he likes to try and rile us up. We ignored him and I knew deep down he was excited….and a little nervous about it all too.

 

 

Looking back at the parking garage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We entered the building and had to go through security check. There was a bit of a line, but it moves fairly quickly. You cannot take pictures there, but it is very similar to an airport security check.

 

Once we got up in the terminal we went to check in. Claire and I are Castaway Club members so we had the shorter check in line.

This line is for meeting characters, which we chose to bypass.

 

 

 

 

The ship had not started boarding yet.

 

 

But for some reason people like to hoover near the ears. I don’t know why as it makes it harder for those with earlier boarding numbers to get through.

 

 

We decided to head outside and take a look at our new home for the next few days.

 

 

 

There was an ashtray out there and Skip took that as a sign that you are allowed to smoke out there. I am not sure if you are or not, but I suppose you can if there is an ashtray, but I also felt it was rude. Many people are out there looking at the ship and it’s not a big area. I tried to discreetly tell him not to, but he didn’t listen. I don’t think he understood what I was saying.

 

 

The guys were sprucing up the ship.

 

 

It looks like a few CM’s were having some shore time.

 

 

A RCCL ship off in the distance.

 

 

 

 

I noticed that they were starting to call numbers now. Gosh I can’t remember what we had…I am thinking 6 or 7 off the top of my head, but I know it wasn’t too far down the line so I kept peeking in to hear what was being called to board.

 

I believe this is where the concierge and platinum people wait.

 

 

 

 

I actually have waited in this area before…..back in 2011 when I did a tour of the Dream….this is where they had us wait for the bus back to WDW.

 

 

They were calling numbers fast. Basically every 30-60 seconds the next group was being called.

 

 

And before you knew it our group was called and we made our way to board. YIPPEE!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Mickey was walking right by and I quick tried to take a few paparazzi pictures.

 

 

 

 

I made us all stop for the boarding picture and Claire blinked in one and Skip had a creepy look in the other so I never bought either.

 

Now it was time to board!

 

 

 

 

Waiting our turn.

 

 

 

 

The Disney Magic would like to introduce the Jenseib family!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!

 

 

The first time I boarded the Magic I thought the atrium was so small…..this time I was used to it a bit and it didn’t seem so shockingly small. It did seem a little weird to see the second staircase missing, but not in a bad way.

 

 

Mickey had been moved and his new spot was nice.

 

 

The new light fixture.

 

 

I have a confession….I don’t think this is fabulous. It’s OK, but not a great fixture for the atrium and I liked the old one better.

 

Guest services.

 

 

We had a mission…..LUNCH!

 

 

We like buffets. I know it’s not for everyone, but Skip REALLY likes buffets, so we were heading towards Cabanas which was formerly known as Topsiders.

 

[jenseib]

We were heading towards the back of the ship to get to Cabanas and cut through Shutters, which is where they display the photos taken throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

 

And up the elevator.

 

 

To Cabanas.

 

 

The style and décor of this Cabanas is different than on the Dream and Fantasy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found a table out back. I love this outside area. Sadly they did make it smaller after the refurbishment to make Cabanas bigger, but there was still room to sit out there with tables and it still is bigger than what the Dream has.

 

Cape Canaveral off in the distance.

 

 

Taking in the views.

 

 

 

I believe Skip and Claire went to fill their plates while I waited at the table.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire’s plate.

 

 

My turn to head up.

 

 

 

 

 

I filled my plate and headed back to the table.

 

 

 

Time for dessert…..I LOVE those chocolate chip cookies!!!!!!!

 

 

They have really good ice-cream too.

 

 

After we were done we decided to do some exploring and show Skip around.

 

 

The new water splash area.

 

 

The new slide.

 

 

 

They also put in these cabana like shaded areas.

 

 

 

I spot a meet and greet.

 

 

 

 

Skip decided to park himself on a lounge chair but I wanted to explore some more. Claire decided to come with me.

 

Again, I am just not a big fan of the new light fixture.

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to get Claire checked into the kids clubs and take a look at the refurbishments there.

 

 

Claire was given a band that is very much like the Magic Bands at the parks.

 

 

 

 

This used to be the pirate themed area. It is now magically transformed into Andy’s bed.

 

 

 

[TBpony414]

Not at all a fan of the new light. It doesn't look grand or fun, it just looks... blah. The new slide looks nice, though! I also like the Andy's Room kids section makeover.

[jenseib]

Not at all a fan of the new light. It doesn't look grand or fun, it just looks... blah. The new slide looks nice, though! I also like the Andy's Room kids section makeover.

 

Exactly. It's kind of boring.

 

The slide looks like a lot of fun though!

[jenseib]

Claire headed up to give the slide a try.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought this area was really cute.

 

 

 

I forgot to mention that the Castaway Club Member lanyards were now made of a different material and much softer on the skin.

 

 

 

 

Now entering the Marvel area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bathrooms in the kids area are so darn cute.

 

 

 

 

 

Next we headed into the Tinkerbell area.

 

 

 

 

 

I think the area seemed a bit bigger than before.

 

 

I really think they did a nice job with the refurb in the kids area here.

 

 

 

 

We then headed off to the other side of the kids club through the secret passage way, which I never even notice the last time I had sailed the Magic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a ton of activities to do and Claire seemed excited to come to the clubs. On her previous DCL cruises she was a little shyer about it. The first one she only went the first night and then she worried what my Mom and I were doing the whole time she was in there. The 2nd cruise we went on a big family trip and she went in once with her cousin who is 10 months older. Claire enjoyed it but her cousin wasn’t impressed for some odd reason and since her “older” cousin didn’t like it she didn’t want to go back. This time Claire promised to give it another try and try to interact with other kids as well.