/Cruising on a Dream Full of Frights and Friends: 10/12/13-10/19/13 TR completed 4/21/2014 About This Page:

[pamcarey]

Sounds like you had some great princess (and prince) interactions! I can't believe that people who were lucky enough to have front row seats for the parade would stand up in front of you, and especially in front of kids! Some people are just clueless!


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[lauriep]

A great time at the party. What nice interaction with the Princesses! It's hard when you're waiting in line, but it's worth it for real dialogue, not just pose and move on.

[disneydreamer33]

Sounded like aquick trip back to WDW and I nice relaxing time waiting on your room. The party sounded fun especially getting to spend it with Kelly and her family.

[lfredsbo]

What a great time at the party......minus the people standing up for the parade.....and Hope not being tall enough for SM- but how sweet of that lady to give her the pin!!! That's WHY I love Disney!!!! Most people are just so sweet there!!!

[dsteiny23]

Okay, I'm half way through catching up...
So, you drove with no stops down huh? Craig is pushing for that on this trip and I'm pushing for a hotel stop
Poor Hope!! But, I've been there thinking I can catch it all and no one would notice. That happened with Zach when he was 2 at a party. Didn't work then either
You know I love your photos
Yes! I want to be a kid in those kids clubs too!! And they all look so cute on Kelly's bed on sail away day.
Cool door decorations! When we ever get on a cruise I need you all to tell me all the little things I need to be ready for.

[mommapants]

oh poor Hope - just so tired you can't even gt her up. Always so sad when part of your trip ends (cruise) but you still had MK to look forward too. What a great MNSSHP. Staying all the way until the end. So sorry Hope didn't make the height for Space Mountain. Evan missed it last l=time but should be s=good this trip - if he is brave enough.

[MayraLR]

What a great time at the party! An amazing way to end your vacation with Kelly.

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Aww, poor Hope she was so exhausted. But the nap was pretty good for her.
You guys got quite a few things done before the party.

Originally Posted by MayraLR

What a great time at the party! An amazing way to end your vacation with Kelly.

We had such a good time that day, even though we had to say good-bye to the ship, and to Kelly.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Poor Hope! She was just tuckered out. Too bad it's not good form for adults to cry because they don't want to get out of bed-- I've had mornings like that myself. I think it's a great idea to have a little WDW time after the cruise. It's just too sad otherwise.

Originally Posted by lauriep

A great time at the party. What nice interaction with the Princesses! It's hard when you're waiting in line, but it's worth it for real dialogue, not just pose and move on.

I would probably cry every day getting out of bed if I could. The best part of waiting in line to see the characers is watching how they interact with Hope. She always thinks about what she's going to talk to them about before we even get up there to see them.

Originally Posted by chezp

It's always so sad whenever you leave a Disney cruise, but at least you had WDW to look forward to!

It makes a lot easier to say good-bye.

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Love the colors on the castle for MNSSHP!!
Too funny running in to Cruella and crew in line at the end of the night!
I cannot believe people who have front row seats for the parade would stand up IN FRONT OF A BUNCH OF KIDS!!! Just so selfish....Glad you were all able to enjoy the parade despite that rudeness.
And I don't think people realize how exhausting a cruise can be - you all did well to hit a party, and stay to the end, the same day you were forced off the ship!

There was a woman standing next to us that said the same exact thing about the people who stood up. Of course they acted like they didn't even know the kids were there, but then after the woman said something about it in a pretty loud voice, I thought for sure they would notice. Nope...didn't even care.

Originally Posted by mcc0313

Finally trying to catch up on everyone's reports, just such a fun cruise for all of you. How great that you were able to share with Kelly and her family....I still cannot get over how grown up Hope looks, she is just adorable.

Thank you so much. I definitely don't like that she's growing up though.

Originally Posted by xwewhisper

Sounds like a great day despite some goodbyes and tiredness!

It definitely was.

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

That party was the BEST ever! We had so much fun hanging out with you that night! I'll try to get to my TR soon so I can fill in those gaps.

I couldn't agree more...about both things.

Originally Posted by KMB733

So sad the cruise is over with, but at least the Disney fun continues!! Love the interactions between the princesses and Hope!!

It was a sad day with a happy ending.

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Sounds like you had some great princess (and prince) interactions! I can't believe that people who were lucky enough to have front row seats for the parade would stand up in front of you, and especially in front of kids! Some people are just clueless!

They were definitely clueless, but thankfully we had the men with us to hold them up really high.

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

Sounded like aquick trip back to WDW and I nice relaxing time waiting on your room. The party sounded fun especially getting to spend it with Kelly and her family.

For Hope the entire car ride and room waiting went by in a flash. Haha!

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

What a great time at the party......minus the people standing up for the parade.....and Hope not being tall enough for SM- but how sweet of that lady to give her the pin!!! That's WHY I love Disney!!!! Most people are just so sweet there!!!

One of the best things about going to Disney is the people you get to meet while standing in line. Thankfully there are more good eggs than bad eggs in the bunch.

Originally Posted by dsteiny23

Okay, I'm half way through catching up...
So, you drove with no stops down huh? Craig is pushing for that on this trip and I'm pushing for a hotel stop
Poor Hope!! But, I've been there thinking I can catch it all and no one would notice. That happened with Zach when he was 2 at a party. Didn't work then either
You know I love your photos
Yes! I want to be a kid in those kids clubs too!! And they all look so cute on Kelly's bed on sail away day.
Cool door decorations! When we ever get on a cruise I need you all to tell me all the little things I need to be ready for.

OMG...who could this be? Why, is it my good friend Dawn??? Haha! I just had to mess with you for a bit. That's what friends are for right? I should be making it easy for you to catch up due to my severe lack of updates right now.

Originally Posted by mommapants

oh poor Hope - just so tired you can't even gt her up. Always so sad when part of your trip ends (cruise) but you still had MK to look forward too. What a great MNSSHP. Staying all the way until the end. So sorry Hope didn't make the height for Space Mountain. Evan missed it last l=time but should be s=good this trip - if he is brave enough.

She should be able to get on everything that doesn't have a 48" height requirement...fingers crossed.

[stardust190]

You must have had a GREAT time if Hope was that tired. How lucky that you had all that nap time before MNSSHP! Might not have made it through the party. Sounds like a great time at the party although bummer about SM. Next time...

[OneLittleSpark]

Sounds like a great party! It is sad though to leave your friends. I hate that!

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by stardust190

You must have had a GREAT time if Hope was that tired. How lucky that you had all that nap time before MNSSHP! Might not have made it through the party. Sounds like a great time at the party although bummer about SM. Next time...

I sure could have used a nap though. Thank goodness for Starbucks now!

Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark

Sounds like a great party! It is sad though to leave your friends. I hate that!

It's the worst part of the trip.

[honeybee723]

Day Seven: Friday, October 18th
So Much for Being Bored!

We had no real plans for today, except to hang out at our resort and enjoy the pool and fun activities they had scheduled. So because of the laid back theme of the day, we actually slept in a bit…a very rare thing when you’re in Disney World. We had thought about eating breakfast on our balcony, but then decided to just go sit outside by the pool.




Once we found a table, we also found a new friend, which Hope quickly named Peanut. The child names EVERYTHING. And of course I had to send this picture to my girls, which then led to these texts…



Dawn: Just found out October is National Squirrel Awareness month!! Seriously?!! I’m changing my birthday.

Linny: I think it was always around that time my dad would go hunting squirrel!!

Aren’t they great? Besides, what's one of my TRs without a squirrel sighting.

After breakfast we asked Hope if she wanted to go to the pool first or see what was going on around the resort, and she chose the resort. First, we walked over to check out the flamingos, and see what other animals were hanging around. Then we got to talking to 2 CMs from South Africa, which Hope wasn’t too thrilled about because that involved sucking up time that could be spent on something way more fun. We looked over the schedule of activities, and then went to each one that Hope seemed interested in. We were actually so busy doing all of the activities, that we never made it to the pool.

Medallion Rubbing





Cookie Decorating...the lighting was bad in there.







Face Painting (I wasn’t too impressed with the women doing this. Can you see how goopy the paint is on her face? I guess this is what happens when it’s free ).





There were also times when Chad would take her to an activity without me so that I could get some packing done back at the room. With him, she did Pin Trading with the “King” Pin, a stamp activity in the Mara and a music activity in the lobby called Music of the Savanna, where you follow along playing African instruments to earn a bead for your bracelet. This one was a little tough for her, and she actually ended up telling him that she couldn’t keep up with the instructions. Chad agreed that it was a pretty crazy bead activity, but definitely a lot of fun to watch.

Meanwhile, I had sent Kelly a text earlier in the day saying that if we were in the same area maybe we could meet up for a “going away” drink. She suggested meeting up at the Top of the World Lounge, which I thought sounded like a great idea. I guess none of us were really ready to say good-bye yet. So we made plans for us to meet up before the fireworks started since I had promised Hope a nighttime swim in the pool before we went to bed. But before meeting up with them, we had plans to grab dinner at EoS, and do a bit of shopping.

We got ready a little early so that we could go check out the animals from the Arusha Rock Overlook, and get a few photos. But first, Hope was pretty excited about the animals she was seeing right underneath our balcony.






Down on the overlook...





We noticed the giraffe were really active...and close, tonight.







Finally we made it to our car and headed towards DTD. What a nightmare that turned out to be. Since they’re expanding the marketplace, the parking is all messed up. They’ve set up temporary parking at the Casting Center across the street, but because of this change the traffic was a mess. Then I look in the backseat, and this is what I see…



I wasn’t going to wake her up for dinner because she obviously needed this little nap, and I wanted her to enjoy her evening with Dylan and Lukas as much as possible, so I just put her in her stroller and let her sleep. By the time we had parked and walked to EoS, it was getting close to 7pm. I couldn’t believe it had taken that long! Then when we walked into EoS, the line was the longest I’ve ever seen for that place. It was actually going out the door! Chad took Hope and found a quiet spot where he could wait for me while she slept. I ended up waiting in line for about 30 minutes, and once we were finished eating, I sent Kelly a text saying that we would be a little later than we thought. Plus, I never even got the chance to do any shopping.

Once we got back in the car, Hope finally woke up. I told her we’d grab something to eat at the lounge because I knew she’d be getting pretty hungry by then. We found our way to BLT pretty easily, parked and found them waiting for us in the lobby. I was so happy that we were going to be able to enjoy a little more time with them before our vacation came to an end, and the kids lit up as soon as they saw each other.

I had never been in BLT before, much less the DVC lounge. I have to say I felt sort of important when the CM walked us over the elevator and swiped her card so that we could have access to that floor. The lounge itself was very swanky, and I was impressed with the complimentary refreshments they had set up when you walked in, and the feeling of privacy that it had.

We grabbed a nice comfy spot, and then got to the task of ordering some appetizers and drinks.





We ordered Hope the pretzel bites with special dipping sauces, Chad ordered a captain and coke and I tested my luck by ordering another lemon drop martini. Meanwhile, we just sat around talking and laughing the entire time. There are times when we’re at home, and we’ll say something about how we wish Kelly and Mike were around so that we could just call them up and have them come over. It was that easy with them. I know I’ve been saying it over and over again in this TR, but it’s true when I say that we felt like we knew this family forever. Yeah, Kelly and I have been talking for years now, but you would have never guessed that the rest of us had only just met for the first time less than a week ago. Mike, who seemed so quiet to me at first, made me laugh so hard with his witty one-liners. Lukas melted my heart just by looking at me with that cute little face and funny personality. And Dylan, well, Dylan not only charmed his way into my heart, but definitely did a number on my little girl as well. [IMG][/IMG]



Finally the waiter brought us our drinks and apps.



Mike looks bored here


Dylan was so excited about the food that he jumped up off the sofa, and knocked over my never-been-tasted martini in the process. I felt so bad for him because he seemed a little embarrassed and we could tell he was holding back tears. No worries. I called over the waiter, told him what happened and he went back to make me a new one. Once I finally had my new drink, Kelly and I toasted our last night together.



After I posted this picture on FB, Mike decided to put his smart a** pants on , and comment with, “They are so wasted…”. Which led to the following funny conversation…

Linny: YESSS!!! My girls, wasted!!! LOVE!!!! (apparently Linny was pretty happy about this ). Oh, and you and Chad are sober???

Mike: Yes, we’re responsible fathers.

Me: And he’s a big fat liar!

Mike: You can’t lie though…that was your second drink…which was ordered before anyone else took a drink of theirs.

Kelly: While that may in fact be true, you have left out the important detail of the first drink being knocked over.

Me: Thank you Kelly. Your husband thinks he’s pretty sly, but I’ve got my eye on you “Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike”.

Mike: Crickets…

Anyway, back to what actually happened that night. We continued to enjoy the food, drinks (mine wasn’t as good as on the ship) and conversation, and before I knew it, it was almost time for Wishes to start. I know I had promised Hope a nighttime swim, but since we were having so much fun we decided to stay and watch the fireworks.





It was so neat watching Hallowishes from this vantage point. It’s amazing how far back from the castle the fireworks are actually set off. And then when they set off the last set of them, the ones that look like they’re being set off in a 360 degree circle, they looked like they were coming from all different areas of the back of the park.





Once they were over, we couldn’t put it off anymore. After one last picture together, it was time to say our final good-byes.



Even though we were all smiles as we did it, I was definitely holding back the tears. We all promised to try and do this again, and God willing, we’ll hopefully be sailing with them again on a 2015 cruise on the Fantasy. The time can’t go by fast enough.

We made our way back to the car, and after looking at the clock, figured that we still had plenty of time for the swim. Little did we know that we were in the process of getting lost, and once I realized we had passed our exit for AKL, we had sucked up a good chunk of our pool time. Hope was pretty understanding about it, and in order to make it up to her, I promised a trip to the Mara so that she could pick out a late night dessert.

There wasn’t much left to do when we got back to the room, so we ate our snacks, hung out on the balcony for a bit and then went to sleep. We knew we had a very long day ahead of us, and we needed all the sleep we could get.

Up Next: Staying For as Long as We Can

[MayraLR]

Glad you got a little more time with Kelly's family!

[chezp]

What a wonderful day - so relaxing and time with friends - just perfect!

[xwewhisper]

DTD is such a mess right now, but glad it all worked out and you made it over to BLT. I love that lounge, sounds like a great time