Triple dip, triple surprise, big birthday blow-out Dream cruise - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Triple dip, triple surprise, big birthday blow-out Dream cruise
OK, how's THAT for a gigantic TR title!?!?
Here are the details:
Who: Me (turning 45 - - on the trip)
DH (47)
DS (14)
DD (11)
When/What/Where:
Leaving home August 12 and driving to Bluffton, SC
August 13: checking in to our annual spot - DVC HHI Resort!
August 15: Driving from HHI to Port Canaveral, staying at the Radisson
August 16: Boarding the Disney DREAM!!!
So the first thing I mentioned in my title is triple dip, and the second is triple surprise. Why? Well the cruise, on the 16th, is a five night cruise, with TWO stops at Castaway Cay. OK, you're saying, that is only a double dip, can't you count?!
Yes, I can count - and that brings us to surprise number one. The kids have NO IDEA we are doing BACK to BACK cruises!!! That's right, we dock the 21st, and GET RIGHT BACK ON for another four nights!!
Our last DCL trip was the 12 night Baltic cruise last summer. We really wanted to sail on the Dream, but (spoiled, I know ) thought 5 nights would not be enough after doing 12 (and 7 prior to that cruise). So at the point our DD ususally bursts in to tears, the last night of the cruise, we may tell them we're getting back on the next day. OR, we may try to get them all the way off the ship first, THEN spring surprise number one....you'll have to tune in for the TR to see how that ends up playing out.
Truth is, that will actually be SURPRISE #2, as surprise one will be revealed the first day of the cruise. Our dear friends from Chicago are joining us with their 2 kids, and none of the 4 kids knows this yet! (Her kids still don't know they're cruising - only that they're heading to Disney World!) We have an earlier boarding time, since we'll already be in Port Canaveral, and they'll be taking the DCL transportation from POR. We have talked about having her text me when they arrive at the port, and then me getting my kids down to the atrium to help welcome boarding families.
Surprise #3 will come on the second cruise, when we get to Nassau. On the first sailing, we told the kids Atlantis was a bit out of reach cost-wise, and we're doing the dolphin encounter at Blue Lagoon instead. They were fine with that, but I know they have wanted to see Atlantis ever since seeing it on an episode of Amazing Race. I had racked up a fair number of Comfort points, so I got a room at Comfort Suites for FREE, which will give us 4 wristbands for everything at Atlantis! We aren't going to let them know until that morning.
And, as for the big birthday bash, I already admitted earlier that I'll be turning 45 ON the cruise (August 23). We get to spend that day on CC (our THIRD stop of this trip!) and I think DD & I are going to do a tandem parasailing trip! Then that night for dinner, DH & I have reservations for Remy. Not a bad way to make the best of a birthday, right?
So, I will try to think of a few more things to comment on in more detail (like our HHI stay) before we head out next week. But suffice it to say, I am SOOO excited, and ready for the trip to begin!!!
Oh, the trip looks so fabulous! I almost booked a Dream cruise for this year, but also didn't want to do anything shorter than a week (I'd been on the Magic for the 15-night Panama cruise and am totally spoiled!). Back-to-back is a great way to go! Can't wait to see how the surprises pan out. I love your idea of getting the kids to the atrium to see the surprise arrival of their friends!
Sounds like it is going to be a great trip with lots of surprises!
I really hope the kids like all the surprises! I KNOW they'll like the surprise of a second cruise!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a wonderful trip you've got planned!
Thanks, I think so!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Oh, the trip looks so fabulous! I almost booked a Dream cruise for this year, but also didn't want to do anything shorter than a week (I'd been on the Magic for the 15-night Panama cruise and am totally spoiled!). Back-to-back is a great way to go! Can't wait to see how the surprises pan out. I love your idea of getting the kids to the atrium to see the surprise arrival of their friends!
Isn't it funny how quickly you get spoiled on the longer cruises? Our first time on the Magic was a 4 night, then a 7 night, and then a 12 (plus I've done a 4 night on the Wonder with the DVC member cruise). So trying to imagine how to do all we'd want on a new ship in just 5 days didn't add up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minniemouse27
Yay!!
Can't wait to meet you in 14 days!
I know, me too! I am kind of sorry now I didn't join in a FE exchange on the DISboards. I just don't have time to go on another board, though, and like PP so much better. Are you doing the FE? Are you wearing anything special on embarkation day? On the Baltic cruise, I was able to find another PP'r because we were both wearing shirts with designs by Shadowryter! My family thought it was so funny when someone came up to me and said "Cubfancolleen?" and I said "Walt's wife?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennie622
How DREAMY, get it? Dreamy!?!? Ok, I haven't had coffee yet. Sorry.
Still sounds like a fantastic trip!
That's my DH's type of humor, so I did actually laugh out of habit. Hope you got some coffee!
So the start of this trip is actually a mini-version of our usual summer vacation. We've been going to Hilton Head since 2006, so this will be our 6th summer in a row staying at the DVC property there. We'd never actually been there when we bought our points! We owned at SSR, and knew we NEEDED more points (), and I found a great deal on resale points at SSR in early 2006. Prior to that, we'd been spending a week each summer on Emerald Isle in North Carolina. But since we now owned beach property, we checked it out in 2006. We LOVE HHI!! First, the property itself just makes you relax the moment you drive through the gate - big old live oaks, Spanish moss, the water, aaahhhhhhh. We weren't sure what we'd think about the fact that it isn't actually ON the beach (where we'd always stayed in EI). You have to drive or bike across the main road on the island, and go back through an area on the other side of that road to get to the Disney Beach House. But we have found that's OK - it's almost like having 2 vacations while you're there. The time at the beach is awesome - the water is much more calm than a lot of other spots in the mid-Atlantic, and the beach is very firm so easy to walk/run on - but then you get back to the main property and it's like you were dropped into the South! We've found a number of places we like to eat while we're there (and unfortunately a number we DON'T eat at anymore). Our favorite dinner place is a hole in the wall called Sea Shack. Cheap, informal, and YUMMY! For breakfast, you can't go wrong with Signe's, and you MUST bring a pound cake (or two) home with you! I realized we won't be able to bring pound cake home this year, though, since we're not heading home from HHI. If you ever find yourself in HHI, go to Signe's and have either the Key Lime Poundcake, or the Praline Poundcake. Both freeze well!
So, we'll leave our house by Washington DC on Friday the 12th, and drive out to our breeder's farm to drop our baby - our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Rory. Rory gets his own vacation, hanging out with about a dozen other Cavaliers while we're away. The funny thing is, when we return, he's glad to see us, but then he always seems a little depressed for a few days, missing all his buddies (and the trouble he can get into with them, with all that property to explore!).
Typically we take Rory out to the breeder's the day before we leave, so our normal route to HHI is straight down 95. But this year, we're dropping him and leaving from there. So there will be a brand new route to take! We're all excited about seeing whatever new sites that may bring.
We spend Friday night at a Fairfield Suites in Bluffton, SC, which is only about half an hour or so from HHI. But since we don't get down there until fairly late (probably after 8 pm), we'd rather spend $100 on a hotel room (which includes a decent breakfast!) than using another night's worth of points. We'll head over to HHI after breakfast Saturday and check in, and even if our room's not ready yet, we'll be able to go to the beach house and enjoy the surf.
Since we only have 2 days (versus the 8-10 days we usually spend), we have no plans other than to sit at the pool at the beach house, or down in the surf, enjoying the weather and listening to the crashing waves (please send pixies for good weather! ). We'll have dinner at Sea Shack both Saturday and Sunday, I assume, and one morning - Sunday or Monday - we'll eat at Signe's.
So, that's the start of our trip! Thanks for following along so far!
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Hilton Head sounds wonderful! Since I don't drive, I'll never see it, but I really like that DVC has options other than the park-affiliated resorts. I didn't know you have a King Charles-- how wonderful! It's great that Rory can vacation with his buddies and not be all depressed at a strange boarding kennel. It makes your vacation better, too, knowing he's happy. Maybe when he gets home he's just exhausted, not depressed!
For those of you who've never been to HHI, here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of how gorgeous it is! Sorry for the tiny pictures - I've tried to link them to my photo sharing account, but never seem to be able to master the re-sizing part!
Maybe I'll figure that out before I start the TR portion!
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So after a weekend on Hilton Head (where I hope to do laundry prior to leaving - hate bringing dirty clothes on vacation!), we'll head down the coast to Port Canaveral. We've NEVER driven further south than Savannah, so this will all be new to us. I have been debating whether we should get to the Port as quickly as possible, or whether to do some sightseeing on the way. St. Augustine holds some appeal to me, but I don't know how into that the kids would be, and much depends on the temperatures. If it's too hot, I know they'll just want to get to the hotel and the POOL!
We're staying at the Radisson at Port Canaveral, and while it isn't on the beach, it looks like it has a fabulous pool area. So I know we'll probably just hang out there for the afternoon.
For dinner, I got a gift certificate on restaurant.com for Rusty's. I've seen this restaurant mentioned in more than one TR, and it sounds good. Everyone in my family loves seafood, but I also like that it sounds fairly casual. Our last night of not dressing up for dinner!
We'll take it easy in the evening, maybe walk on the beach a bit, but get an early night. I've already contacted the hotel to put our names on the list for the FIRST shuttle to the cruise terminal in the morning. Before heading over to the terminal, we'll enjoy breakfast, which is included in our hotel cost.
The other great thing included in the hotel price? FREE PARKING!! So we'll keep our car there for the duration of the cruises, and not have to worry about parking garage fees. Yeah! That will more than cover a few days' worth of drinks of the day!
Our friends leave Chicago a week from today to head to Disney World, so I'm excited for them about that - it will be their kids' first time there!! And we're now down to 9 days until we leave our house! SINGLE DIGITS!!
Wow, it really is getting close! When you check in, be sure to confirm your spots on the first shuttle of the day. I had pre-booked, too, but they messed it up and had me on a much later one. As it was, I was so anxious to get to the port that I almost skipped the shuttle and took a cab. The shuttle got me there plenty early, though!
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- on the trip)
) thought 5 nights would not be enough after doing 12 (and 7 prior to that cruise). So at the point our DD ususally bursts in to tears, the last night of the cruise, we may tell them we're getting back on the next day. OR, we may try to get them all the way off the ship first, THEN spring surprise number one....you'll have to tune in for the TR to see how that ends up playing out.
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That's my DH's type of humor, so I did actually laugh out of habit. Hope you got some coffee! 
), and I found a great deal on resale points at SSR in early 2006. Prior to that, we'd been spending a week each summer on Emerald Isle in North Carolina. But since we now owned beach property, we checked it out in 2006. We LOVE 
). We'll have dinner at Sea Shack both Saturday and Sunday, I assume, and one morning - Sunday or Monday - we'll eat at Signe's.
Thanks for following along so far!
St. Augustine holds some appeal to me, but I don't know how into that the kids would be, and much depends on the temperatures. If it's too hot, I know they'll just want to get to the hotel and the POOL! 
Everyone in my family loves seafood, but I also like that it sounds fairly casual. Our last night of not dressing up for dinner! 
I've already contacted the hotel to put our names on the list for the FIRST shuttle to the cruise terminal in the morning. Before heading over to the terminal, we'll enjoy breakfast, which is included in our hotel cost. 
Hybrid Mode
