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Old 02-08-2008, 02:12 PM   #46
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Picked up DF & DM and looked at our legacy photos. We then headed over to living with the land, and got FP's for Soarin. Land ride was still really good. I've seen it so many times but its still good. Seeing the fish got DM hungry so we ate at the land foodcourt. We got the ham sandwich, tuna salad, couscous, tomato & cucumber salad, & sushi. All were very good, but the sushi was pretty plain. We also got the butterfinger brownie (too thick & dry), and the chocolate croissant (very good). So after lunch and dessert, of course we went to an ice cream cart to get a frozen banana, and an ice cream sandwich. Then it was off to Ellen's energy show. We enjoyed it and sat on the far right side so we wernt in the radio room waiting for everyone else. The it was off to TT, we convinced DM, but the fastpass line was out the building and was 25+ minutes so we dcided start our world tour. First stop was Mexico, I like the old version better. Maybe the could do a donald dark ride at MK. Now its time for a Mexican snack!
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Old 02-08-2008, 02:18 PM   #47
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What a fun adventure!!
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My Previous TripsJune 1992-offsite, Sept 1998-Honeymoon at WL, Dec 2000 CBR, April 2001-offsite, Aug 2002-AS Sports, May 2004 Mother/Daughter trip w/ my mom AKL&CBR, Jan 2005-Graduation trip AKL&CBR, May 2008-POR, Aug 2008-AS Movies, Jan 2011-AS Sports, June 2012-SSR Treehouse Villa, Dec 2012-SSR Treehouse Villa, May 2013-SSR/AKV, Feb 2014-OKW, July 2014-POFQ, Feb 2015-BCV, Feb 2016-Poly & Disney Magic DCL, Sept 2016-Poly, Oct 2016-Poly
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Old 02-08-2008, 02:42 PM   #48
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My Previous TripsMay1991 Treehouse Villas - May1993 POFQ - July1998 CSR - May2002 ASSP - August2004 ASMO - December2005 SSR - August2006 BCV - April2007 POFQ - August2008 BWV - May2009 AKV Kidani - AugSep2010 BLT - Aug2011 BCV - Aug2013 BLT
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Old 02-08-2008, 04:04 PM   #49
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Old 02-10-2008, 09:13 AM   #50
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We decided to skip Mexican food, and went to Norway, We scared DM into thinking we do go over the waterfall. After the ride, we got the best cinnamon rolls, and of course, school bread. China was next so we got some Mongolian BBG sandwich and eggrolls. The movie was very impressive and interesting. Next was Germany (sorry if I get the country order mixed up) where we had to get some Brattwurst and Sauerkraut.

We skipped Italy for food, and just walked around the shops and picked up some chocolates. We also skipped America for food, but took small naps during American Adventure. I love the show, but everytime I go I get tired.

Japan had some good candy we bought, and DM was very impressed at how authentic things were, and couldn’t believe all the original candies/foods they had. Morocco’s food was great as it always is. We had chicken, lamb, and salad. Of couse we also had to get three orders of Baklava. France wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the bakery. I got a ham and cheese tartine, and a chocolate pastry. DW got a Chocolate Croissant. We also saw the movie and DM wanted to go back and visit, as it has been a while. In the UK we bought some herbal tea, and DF bought Mars bars because he swears they don’t sell them in the US anymore. OK. Last stop around the world was Canada. We got some more candy, and watched the movie. I like the new version much better. Martin Short is getting older, but he is still great. We decided to go see HISTA, but the cast member said the show had already started. There were just two people in front of me, there was no space, and he let the first one in but not the rest of us. He said the show already started, but he was only talking about the Kodak commercial. Didn’t know that was “show”, oh well. So it was off the Soarin’ to use our fastpasses. DM went on it once a few years back and was scared half to death. She says it was because she was scared her shoes would fall off and that she would just leave them off the ride. We’ll see.

It was so funny to watch her. Every time the movie got close to the ground (Water, Mountains, Trees) she would lift up her feet as if she would hit them. She says she didn’t even realize she was doing that. DF was dead tired and had to get up at 4:30 am so he left us at that point. Amazingly, DM was still up to going around. We decided to try and get her on TT, and then finish the day with spaceship earth. She did go on TT and only screamed on the first brake test, and the end of the high speed loop. We got a great picture of her on the edge of death. While she won’t go on it again, she did like it.

We finished off the day with Spaceship Earth. Like most people, I like the first half, hate the second. I won’t spoil it but, the ending part should be an activity in the aftershow area, not on the ride portion. So after a long time of eating and walking (over 25000 according to my pedometer), we got home and ordered room service!

DW got some herbal tea, and a ceaser salad with prosciutto, and I got the scallops with BBQ Shrimp. That was it for that day. It was very long and always busy, so that is why it took an extra day to post this.
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Old 02-10-2008, 09:32 AM   #51
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***UPDATE***

Saturday, February 9

Goodbye Disneyworld, Hello Disney Cruise!!

We were so busy running around that I had no time to update, but here it is!

DF left at 4:30 am, and the rest of us ordered room service and just relaxed until 9:30. It was very sad to see DF & DM go. DM wouldn’t allow us to walk her down to the taxi because she would get too sad. So we said our goodbyes and Amy and I waited for Happy Limo. They were about 15 minutes late, and the driving time was about 15 minutes longer than expected (no traffic). It ended up being ok because we still made it to the gangway(?) before boarding.

They announced boarding and we were the third group on!! We took our picture, scanned our cards, and walked into the lobby. They announced our names really loud, and it was a bit embarrassing because there was no one else except the employees and they all started cheering. It was off the concierge meeting at Sessions. They had some fruit and snacks, so we ate a few items. They went over our reservations and asked if we needed anything. Then they offered a bunch of nice services (some you could do on your own). We will get OJ every morning at 9, ice every morning and evening, got booked on the galley tour for Thursday (they gave us tickets so I guess it “sells” out) and we requested our memory foam pillows.

They also offered one more thing that I wasn’t aware of (I thought I knew everything). They offered reservations for Palo. I mentioned that I already had one of each (Dinner, Brunch, and High Tea), and he said it didn’t matter, I could get as many as I want!! He said you can book only one online but that they have some available for boarding and concierge guests get first pick. So it is very important for concierge guests to arrive before 11:30am. We just added a brunch because we like all the specialty menus on the last few nights.

Afterwards it was off to the BBB for lunch. I got two plates and dessert, Amy got one of each. The fried pork was the best. The weather was good enough to sit on the deck outside (I think that’s the best place to eat the first lunch). Afterwords, we walked the decks, and took some pictures. Than it was off to Quarter Masters. It’s video game arcade and I know what you are all thinking. Why in the world would you go to the arcade on a cruise. For an iPod Shuffle! There is one game that has some really good prizes, and it’s more of a skill game versus luck. I won an exciting laser last time, woo hoo. I had our video cards from our last trip and they wouldn’t work, so make sure you use them up before you leave. I got close but nothing yet.
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Old 02-10-2008, 09:50 AM   #52
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More great updates!!
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Old 02-10-2008, 12:44 PM   #53
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Thanks for posting your blog, great shots! That Yoda backpack is fantastic and your mom is so beautiful. I hope you take lots of cruise pictures too.

Enjoy!
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Old 02-10-2008, 01:57 PM   #54
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Great updates! Sounds like you're having a wonderful time! with the Shuffle. Can't wait to hear more
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Old 02-11-2008, 01:17 AM   #55
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By now our room was ready. DW still had no clue we were getting a 1 bedroom suite. She was very surprised and excited to see the room. It is very nice, and has great decorations. It is the size of 2 verandah rooms. One room is the kitchen table and bar/sink area, and the sitting tv area. It has a single bathroom with a toilet and shower. It also has a pull out bed in the couch. The other room is the bedroom. It has a full queen and a pull down bed. It also has a small seating area. There is a somewhat walk-in closet and a full bathtub with jets. There is also a shower and toilet, and a double sink. There is also a small desk across from the closet. It is a great room!

There are slight noises at times but overall its great. You are right below the Buffet area, and the cleaning crew is across the hall. If you are very sensitive to noises you may want to pick another room but for us it was perfect.

Our luggage arrived as we were unpacking our day bags. There were too many drawers! We couldn’t figure out where to put our stuff because there were so many places. I wish our house at home had this much storage.

After unpacking is was time for the show. The Disney Magic Performers weren’t that great. A little too Vegas, not enough broadway. Also the Guy playing the kid looked to weird to pull it off. But I do know how good there other shows are. The headliners were Jeff Civilico, and Heath Hyche. Jeff was a juggler/comedian, and Heath was a Comedian from Blue Collar Comedy, and Jay Leno. They had different styles of comedy but they were both very funny. DW an I laughed the whole time. After the show, we played bingo and lost, then it was off to dinner.

We headed to Lumiere’s and met our dining crew. Amy was from Scotland and had a great “William Wallace” accent, and the main waitor was,,, I forgot,,,, from Croatia. They were really nice and helpful. We ordered the leeks and goat cheese quiche, and the excargot for appetizer. They were both excellent, and the snails were just right, not creepy at all. I had the Vichyssoise soup and it was great, especially for being done on such a large scale. For the main course we had the beef tenderloin (perfect), and the duck. The duck had a little too much fat, but was perfectly cooked, and there was no gamey taste. For dessert we kinda struck out. We got the White chocolate dome (it was good, but tasted a bit too much like whipped cream), and the crème brulle (too much like a jello custard), but they were sweet so they did the job. Overall I would say dinner was an 8 out 10. I rarely give out 10’s so 8 Is very good!

Afterwards we decided to go to Rockin Bar D’ and check out the Adult “aged” games (Not adult games as some of you may be thinking, shame on you) First up was Magic Quest. It was a scavenger type game were you had to team up (we hate doing that but the people we paired up with were great) and the host would call out something he needed. They were things like a guy wearing womens shoes, a personal navigator, something red white and blue, etc. Our team lost but I think we were very close to winning. Maybe next time.

Next up was the Match your mate. It was just like the Newlywed Game, and just as funny. They picked three couples. They were married for 0-1 years, 10-20 years, and, as they put it, life without parole. It was a great show and a must see. Afterwards it was time to try and catch up on the report. I was absolutely exhausted and only able to do a little.
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Old 02-11-2008, 01:18 AM   #56
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****WARNING, VERY LONG!****

***UPDATE***

February 10, 2008

We slept very well. The beds and pillows are great. We woke up late, for real, and had some orange juice delivered. Did a little more typing and headed to Studio Sea for an Appetizer cooking show. It was good, because it was free food, but seemed too much like a county fair food demonstration. I was hoping it would be more hands on. Still entertaining though.

Next we ate at Lumiere’s. DW got the French toast and bacon, I got the eggs benedict. Both were very good. Maybe tomorrow we will try the buffets.

Last night while walking through the auction gallery they asked if we wanted to guess the price of a painting. We made our guesses, 60-70 thousand (Pablo Picasso original copy), we are not the art type, and this morning there was an invitation to see a collaborative fild by Disney, and the artist Dali, called Destino. The ticket said it was by special invite, but it was on the navigator so I guess not. I have never heard of Dali, but his art is kinda like your in a dream. Very strange stuff. The movie is going to be released at the end of 2008, so we got to have a special screening. I was expecting to see a short film like pixar has (Never heard of Dali before today) but what I saw was like Fantasia, Alice in Wonderland, and Labrynth, on crack. It was more for the art crowd.

After that it was time for Key West! I found an officer and asked where debarkation would be and he said level 1 aft so we went down and waited. We were only the second ones off, and we were halfway to the shops before they announced that we could get off. So it was nice to beat all the crowds. Key West is wonderful. It’s the complete opposite of Nassau. It was clean, nice, and had great shops. We walked straight ahead and took a left. I was looking for the Old Town Trolley and I guessed right. I decided to do it on our own because the Disney ones don’t allow you to get on and off. I wanted to rent a fun electrical car, but I’m glad I didn’t. The tour was great, and the guides had so much interesting information. We got off at stop number 3 to get some Key Lime Pie, and the Aloe shop. I am not a pie fan. I only like pecan, and only sometimes. But all that changed with my little piece of key lime pie. It was the single most delicious piece of pie I have ever had. It is absolutely incredible pie. It is called Blonde Giraffe Key Lime Pie, and they are scattered throughout the island. We also went to the Aloe Shop just to see what they had, and got a few lotions, and facial masks.

The trolley is kinda like the WDW busses. They run every half hour, and if they are full you may have to wait, but they never were full for us. Next was stop number 5. So after breakfast (just 1 ½ hours before) and key lime pie, of course it was time for lunch! We had to walk about three blocks to a place called Santiagos Bodegas. I looked online for local reviews on restaurants and this one came up. They had a website (most didn’t), it was nice, and the menu looked perfect. It is a Tapas style restaurant. Tapas is like eating appetizers for the entire meal. They are small portions of items, enough for two to three people. I think it is the best way to eat because you get to try so much more. The waitress recommended ordering 2-4 for the two of us. So naturally we ordered 8! We had smoked salmon, yellowfin ceviche, lime Shrimp, bruschetta, Grilled Pork (the best), grouper, Spanikopita, and apple/pear tart. And yes, we finished everything.

We then rolled on down the street to Hemmingway’s house. My wife loves cats and I like them too so we paid $24 just to see his six toed cats. We didn’t even go in the house! I know he’s famous but I’ve never read him (I know I probably should), so the house wasn’t important to us. The cats were really mellow and people friendly. The six toed cats had cool feet. It looked like they had thumbs! After we rolled back to the trolley we went on for a quick stop at stop 8 to take a picture at the southernmost spot in the continental US.

Back on the trolley and to the beginning. We stopped by the Ron Jon Surf Shop to get DW an new bathing suit. Unbelievably, they only had about 10! A surf shop with almost no swimsuits? Incredible. So we walked across the street where they had a bigger, but still small, collection. I know it’s February but it’s Key West, and its still hot. We finally found a bathing suit for DW, it was hard because she only wears a Tankini (the one with a half shirt looking top, and small shorts) but they only sold String bikinis with little triangles.

Then it was back on the boat and in our room was a nice appetizer tower from the concierge team. so we ate the entire thing and headed to the show for the evening. It was Heath Hyche, the guy from the previous night. He did very good. We laughed the whole time and enjoyed it.

Side Note: I am getting the feeling our cruise isn’t the most “involved” group. On numerous occasions the staff has mentioned how small the numbers are. At Bingo we were small, Cooking demonstration, Newlywed Game, Destino Movie, and Heath Hyche. All those places were supposed to be packed and the host said they were surprised and how small the group was. Oh well, better for me! No pushing through crowds and arriving a Fantasmic 30 minutes early!

After the show we had a quick stop at bingo. There were four games. First jackpot was around $60, second was around $75. Third game was $90, and the last was $135. We didn’t come close on game one and two. On game three we were able to stand (If you only have one left you stand). On game four DW Won!!!! We won $135!!!! Wow, that helped pair for the first five minutes we walked on the cruise. Seriously though we were really excited.

Next was Dinner at Animators Palate. We were so full from eating just two hours earlier. We decided to give it a good try anyway. For appetizer, DW had Smoked Salmon (good, but a little too much cream cheese), and I only had the Seafood avocado wrapper, and the Garlic mushrooms (both were absolutely perfect!). She had the Caesar Salad (way too much dressing), and I had the Butternut Squash Soup (Perfect flavor, but a tiny bit too runny). For main course, DW got the Stuffed Chicken (Not bad, but seemed like a Denny’s entrée), and I being stuffed, only ordered the Veal Chop (Wonderful, but very small portions) and the Filet Mignon (Perfect). Dessert consisted of Boston Cream Pie (Normal), and Chocolate and peanut Butter Pie (Very Good). So by now we couldn’t crawl anymore and it was more like dragging. So we dragged ourselves to get a few pictures with Goofy, and Minnie, and then headed to see Jeff Civilico at Rockin Bar D. It was completely full! He is an great comedian. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits it big. Everyone had a great time, and we couldn’t stop laughing. After that it was time for some sodas, than back to the room.

When we arrived in our room we had some nice cookies and milk waiting for us! I forgot, but at the Concierge meeting they asked if we wanted cookies and milk every night and we said yes. They were delicious, and the towel dog was a nice touch, but it makes me sad for my dog! DW took a nice bath with some salts from the Aloe store and I am just finishing this up at 1am!!!

Boat is pulling away from Key West and tomorrow is a Sea Day!! Unfortunately, but good, is the fact that we have a spa appointment at 8 am!!. I think I mentioned it before but If you want the two person suite, no matter what treatment you want, you have to pick the one available online. Just change the treatments later but when they’re full, they’re full, even if you wanted to book a different treatment. So I was waiting to board so I could get a different package but the concierge said that 8 am was the only availability so that’s that. So we have Spa Villa from 8-10, doing the body purifying treatment (usually available only for one person suite), and than the dessert cooking demo (hey, it’s still a free dessert). Than we have some free time before DW’s hair appointment (It’s formal night), and then it’s 6pm for Palo, and the 8:30 Golden Mickeys show. Wheww, long day, lots of typing, time for
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Old 02-11-2008, 08:14 AM   #57
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Old 02-11-2008, 01:39 PM   #58
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Old 02-11-2008, 05:19 PM   #59
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Old 02-11-2008, 11:54 PM   #60
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***UPDATE***

Monday, February 11, 2008

What a long, tiring day! We had an early start this morning. We got up at 7 am because we had a spa appointment at 8am. If you remember, I had requested the body purifying, but when I showed up they had us down for a couples choice and asked us what we wanted done. The body purifying included the wrap, on the dry float bed, and a full body massage, but the couples choice isn’t enough time to do that. So we got the wrap, no dry float bed (that is only in single villa), and back only massage. After it is over we are supposed to have tea and relax on the verandah but it was pouring rain. We also started out with a spa with bath salts added in. It was nice, but we will probably just book the items separate (like the full massage one day, and a wrap the next day) Doing a jacuzzi, wrap, massage, and shower, all within about two hours was a little rushed.

We were a little hungry so we went to see how the desserts were made. Still nothing special, but the dessert was good. For those who like to drink, they usually have a small wine tasting after making the dish. We ran up to the buffet and got a few breakfast items, and sat on the outside deck (the rain stopped).

Of course I was already getting hungry so I went to lunch at Lumiere’s while DW sat on the deck to get some sun. At Lumiere’s I got a great fruit cup (Lychee, mandarin oranges, strawberries), Shrimp cocktail, and Teriyaki Cod. I don’t like cod at home so I thought I would try it onboard. Nope, still don’t like it. If they used any other fish it would have been perfect. It was still good enough to eat the whole plate though!

Next was a stop at the rainforest room. Wow, it was much better than I remembered! Some lady was sleeping on the tile lounger, and when we left 45 minutes later, she was still asleep! (she did move, so she’s not dead). We both napped there for about 15 minutes, than tried the easiest steam room. A little hot for DW, ok for me. We stayed there for 10 minutes, and than braved the medium room. DW did not like it and left after 3 minutes. I stayed for another 10, barely, and than it was to that place were Lucifer lives. It was absolutely unbearable. I had to cover my mouth with my towel because it was too hot to breath. I lasted only 3 minutes and had to leave.

We lounged around for a bit and I went to workout while DW got her hair done. It was pretty tough trying to run on a treadmill that is not only moving on the track, but bouncing all around from the sea. After only 15 minutes I was getting a little tired, (I still have some injuries from running). I did a nice arm workout, but got really lighted and kinda sick. I guess it wasn’t a great idea to go to a 104 degree Jacuzzi, a hot body wrap, four saunas, two which were over 120 degrees!, and then run hard for 15 minutes, and weights for 30 minutes! (hence, the reason this is short today)

We ate at Palo at 6 and it was wonderful. Our waiter must be psychic, or talked to our dinner crew because she always brought an “extra” dish of something we didn’t order! Of course we ate it all. The best was the chocolate soufflé. There are only two other places I can say has the best Souffle, Roy’s (based out of Hawaii), and Nobu (in Tokyo). Now I can add Palo. I’m glad I picked Palo for the formal night. By doing that, I was able to get two birds with one stone, or in other words, wear a jacket for two different events in one evening (Palo, Formal night). Now I don’t have to do all that again.

After, we saw the Golden Mickeys show. It was really good. The dancers aren’t bad but some of their expressions are, I don’t know, kinda weird. Not special, but weird. After the show we took a bunch of formal pictures and headed to the Rockin Bar D for the last performance of Heath Hyche. He was dead on tonight, and we couldn’t stop laughing. I never really laugh out loud, but tonight I laughed out loud the entire time. Then it was back to the room for milk and cookies, and try to sleep. I am not sick at all but the there are a lot on board who are. The seas are pretty rough, and have been all day. They are at about 8-14 feet swells. One girl showed us what she had for lunch all over the ground in front of guest services. I guess that’s one way to put in a complaint!

Tomorrow is Grand Cayman, with the Shipwreck and Reef snorkeling.
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