Four if by Land, Six if by Sea **Updated 2/23**COMPLETED - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I guess I should've been sending my "love updates" to the cruising forum (rather than the WDW forum...)
Here's an update from Jill from just a moment ago:
"Almost there!"
and
Look... just LOOK at what she sent me now:
It's the Golden Ticket, cruising style.
And... to top it off, Thom's enjoying the fact that the concierge staff just kicked out some interlopers who snuck into the special lounge reserved for concierge guests. Heeeee... he and I definitely have something in common!
Eileen
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Well . . . after a year of planning and waiting, the day had finally arrived for us to leave for our cruise. We wanted to leave fairly early to get a jump start on our trip, but I didn’t bother to set my alarm since I had a built-in one in the bedroom next to ours.
Sure enough, at 6:30 a.m., I heard Maddie call out my name. I had no problem hopping out of bed and was soon scooping her out of her own bed. I left the bedroom door open in the hopes that the noise from downstairs would gently wake up Mary Devall.
I fixed Maddie her “beakfast” before I hopped in the shower. By the time that I got out, Mary Devall was downstairs sitting in front of the tv. Still no sign of the last sleeping beauty . . . Thom.
I finished getting ready and packed up my cosmetic bag just before Thom finally drug himself down the stairs. He was remarkably quick, however, and was soon ready and loading the car.
Once the girls had finished their breakfasts and were dressed, we had one last piece of business. It was Mary Devall’s turn to take down the final link in the chain.
We made a little ceremony of it and I don’t think that the excitement could have been any higher at that point.
With the chain officially down, we could now leave! Believe it or not, the Koenigs family was actually backing out of the driveway a few minutes before 8 a.m.! With their travel trays in front of them, a bag of books and coloring books between them and a DVD playing, the girls were in heaven. They were sitting on the third row, so they seemed miles away from Thom and me in the front seats. While they were content, I took advantage of the quiet and plugged in my iTouch to watch a couple of tv shows that I had downloaded the night before.
Watching tv, flipping through magazines and sipping coffee made the morning fly by. Before I knew it, Thom was suggesting that we stop in Brunswick, Georgia for an early lunch and to fill up. He drove us several miles off the interstate just to get us to a Chick-fil-a. I don’t know what it is about that boy and Chick-fil-a! It did end up being a good place to start because the little playground inside gave the girls great incentive to finish their lunch and allowed them a bit of time to run off some energy.
Once we were full of chicken and lemonade, we got the girls back in the car and set out again. I volunteered to drive, but Thom told me that he really would rather drive (don’t think he’s being gracious here because our unspoken rule is that the non-driver has to tend to all of the wants and needs of our two little princesses ). Although their demands on me had been few that morning, I decided to move to the second row in the van to be closer to them this afternoon. The seat was comfortable, the leg room was plenty and all of the snacks were within arm reach, so it seemed like a great plan.
When we were back on the interstate and the girls were settled into another movie, I decided to watch Baby Mama on my iTouch. That was about the time that Eileen and I began trading text messages. A bit later, I noticed that Thom was texting someone too and laughed when he told me that it was Eileen also! Between watching my movie and texting Eileen (who, along with Karen, was trying to talk us into turning right and dropping in on Sharon at WDW ), that afternoon just flew by. I cracked up when Eileen asked us exactly WHO was driving since we were both texting her! You know, Mary Devall is actually a pretty good little driver for being seven!
We finally reached the exit for Cape Canaveral about 3:30 and then, minutes later, passed by the cruise ships where the Magic sat in all her glory. Maddie had been asleep for about 30 minutes but she woke just in time to see the “boat.” She kept asking if that was our boat and it was too hard to explain that, although it looked like our boat, it was not our boat, so I just said yes. We spent the remaining few minutes of the drive listening to Mary Devall singing a song from her princess DVD over and over and over again. After each performance, she would ask Maddie to give her a thumbs up or down . . . and you have to know what Maddie chose each time with a sly grin on her face.
My parents had already checked into the Radisson and had called us to let us know where our rooms were. Thom dropped me off in front of the lobby where I was quickly checked in. When I confirmed for the receptionist that we had already signed up for the shuttle the next morning (Thom had called the week before), he checked his sign up sheet and didn’t find us. Thankfully, there was still plenty of room on the 10:30 (Thom was insisting on getting to the terminal as early as possible to sit in his beloved concierge waiting area ) so I officially signed up our party of 6.
Once back with my family, Thom drove us to our room which was literally steps away from the pool and the lobby. My parents must have been watching for us because they had their door open before we even reached our room next to theirs. The girls ran right for them while Thom and I unloaded the bags that we would need for that night (yes, I had even thought ahead this time to pack a separate bag for tonight and a separate one for Disney World – that’s when a year of planning comes in handy ).
Thom and I joined the fun in my parents’ room where Thom and my dad immediately started watching a college basketball game (well, my dad tried to watch while still playing with two little girls). When checking in earlier, I had noticed that the pool bar was open so I thought I might kick off my trip with a celebratory drink. No one else wanted anything so I took the short walk by myself to find the lonely bartender sitting on a counter reading a book. He hopped down and quickly made me a mango margarita. Other than me and a bunch of old guys drinking beer, I don’t think he had much business on this coolish day so I left him a nice tip.
As soon as I entered my parents’ room and sat down in a big comfy chair, Maddie looked at my drink and asked “What’s that? Can I have some?” So back over to our room I went to get the extra apple juices and snacks that we had left over from our drive. I really enjoyed just sitting back, sipping my FAB and chatting with my mom.
We decided to have an early dinner that night. My mom had wondered about the hotel restaurant, but I suggested that we walk next door to Kelsey’s where Thom, Mary Devall and I had eaten back in 2004. We remembered it being delicious food at about half the price of the hotel restaurant. When I added that it was Italian food, my pasta loving parents were all for it.
Once we made the short walk to Kelsey’s, we were seated immediately. They had half carafes of wine, so my beverage choice was easy. My entrée choice was another matter. There were so many delicious sounding dishes plus the aroma of baking pizza drifting in from the kitchen was enough to make you drool. I finally decided on the chicken marsala while the rest of my family went with pasta dishes. Thom told me later that the smell of pizza almost made him change his order also.
We spent the next hour eating salads with their yummy homemade greek salad dressing, garlic bread and our entrees. I was so happy with my chicken marsala - - the chicken was pounded thin and lightly breaded and the sauce was mouth watering. The half carafe of chardonnay wasn’t bad either!
Everyone was stuffed, but the girls of course wanted dessert. When our server listed all of the desserts, Mary Devall’s ears perked up at chocolate cake so we decided that the girls could share a piece. She also mentioned that they had carrot cake which is one of my downfalls so I asked for a piece of that figuring that the adults at the table could help me out.
The piece of chocolate cake was indeed big enough for the girls to split, but Maddie almost blew a gasket when it was placed in front of Mary Devall. When Thom assured her that they were going to split it, she screamed “I want my own!” That was about the time that Thom picked her up and took her outside to cool down. We’ve discovered that a change of scenery does Maddie wonders because she came back all smiles again and ready to eat her half of the chocolate cake.
The server placed the carrot cake in front of me. My mom and I each had a bite and then I passed the cake to Thom and my dad for them to try. I never saw my cake again. Thom told me later that my dad ate every last bite.
After we paid the bill, Thom and my dad took Maddie back to the hotel while my mom, Mary Devall and I sat there chatting for a while longer so that I could finish my wine. These moments are always my favorite of any trip - - the chance to just relax with a glass of wine and chat. Of course, when we were finally ready to go and I saw the line of people at the door waiting for a table, I felt a little guilty but I had no idea there was a wait.
My parents had already asked us if the girls could spend the night in their room, so Thom and I had our room to ourselves. We were both looking forward to a night of sleep where we didn’t hear “Mommy” or “Daddy.” Well, Thom was really looking forward to it since they usually call “Daddy” since he sleeps on the side of the bed closest to the door (hmmm . . . how did that happen? )
I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, but I soon woke up to a shaking room (and it wasn’t that ). I opened my eyes to see Thom standing in doorway looking outside. When he came back inside, I think I asked something brilliant like “Is the room shaking?”
He was all pumped up and told me excitedly that the news had just reported that a rocket was being launched. Geez Louise! We could feel that from this far away?!? Let’s put it this way . . . I would not want to be any closer than this hotel when a rocket was launched in the future.
The shaking soon stopped and I fell right back asleep. I hadn’t done much today except sit and eat, but I was exhausted!
Up next . . . do we have to go to the terminal this early?
I am really impressed that you were able to get the clan on the road by 8! I didn't even realize there was a Chik-fil-a in Brunswick and I used to work in that area, granted it was a while back. You have just given me one more reason why I really need to get an I-touch! I have been trying to convince DH forever that it really is a necessity and not a luxury but so far he's not buying into it. I am really looking forward to hearing about your trip. We haven't done a cruise yet and that's one of the things we're looking into doing next year.
I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, but I soon woke up to a shaking room (and it wasn’t that ).
Dang it! I was getting all excited thinking I'd have to get a "Don't come a knockin' when the villa is a-rockin'" sign for you guys for June! Too funny about the texting-while-driving. We were worried for your safety! I loved that afternoon since it was Eileen on her house phone, talking to me in California, while she texted between the two of you. Your dinner sounds fantastic, and I'm so excited to hear about what comes next. Can't wait for more, Jilly!
__________________
Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
Last edited by zacksmom_1993; 01-27-2009 at 07:47 PM..
Reason: tag confusion!
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What a wonderful start ~ shaking and all. I can't wait for more.
__________________
ºOº ~*~
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Sounds like a great start! We ate at Kelsey's last summer before our cruise and loved it. We ordered two large pizzas and ate every last bite! The Radisson is such a great place to stay and their shuttles to the port can't be beat! Now you've got me looking forward to my cruise in September .
I don’t know what it is about that boy and Chick-fil-a!
Oh my car stops at all Chick-fil-a's, and there's probably 5 between here and school. We love us some cheeckin! (That's my not so Southern Accent).
Quote:
I had noticed that the pool bar was open so I thought I might kick off my trip with a celebratory drink.
This is why you are my hero! I would so be havin that Celebratory FAB!
Okay, hands down, Kelsey's is our favorite. And I think Mary Jean and her DH Dennis ate there last year when they took a Carnival Cruise. And a little tour of Cape Canaveral, without the rocket launch. Kind of cool, but at the same time, I prefer it to be not so early in the am. I'd be thinking I had too many FAB's the night before!!!
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It did end up being a good place to start because the little playground inside gave the girls great incentive to finish their lunch and allowed them a bit of time to run off some energy.
Between watching my movie and texting Eileen (who, along with Karen, was trying to talk us into turning right and dropping in on Sharon at WDW 
Thankfully, there was still plenty of room on the 10:30 (Thom was insisting on getting to the terminal as early as possible to sit in his beloved concierge waiting area 
) so I officially signed up our party of 6. 
I finally decided on the chicken marsala while the rest of my family went with pasta dishes. Thom told me later that the smell of pizza almost made him change his order also. 
The half carafe of chardonnay wasn’t bad either! 
That was about the time that Thom picked her up and took her outside to cool down. We’ve discovered that a change of scenery does Maddie wonders because she came back all smiles again and ready to eat her half of the chocolate cake. 
Thom told me later that my dad ate every last bite. 
Of course, when we were finally ready to go and I saw the line of people at the door waiting for a table, I felt a little guilty but I had no idea there was a wait. 
Let’s put it this way . . . I would not want to be any closer than this hotel when a rocket was launched in the future. 
I am really looking forward to hearing about your trip. We haven't done a cruise yet and that's one of the things we're looking into doing next year.
Dora
I loved that afternoon since it was Eileen on her house phone, talking to me in California, while she texted between the two of you. Your dinner sounds fantastic, and I'm so excited to hear about what comes next. Can't wait for more, Jilly!
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