Nala & pride "A Bucket Full of Magic" TR About This Page:

[B.M.]

What a great gift!

[dsteiny23]

What a great gift...and more to come!! I am a huge fan of the Mickey Parts theme and that tote id GREAT!!

[mcc0313]

What a wonderful surprise to start the trip...definitely enough goodies to keep you all busy. Kiara looks like she is having a great time in the pool. We were building 18 one trip and we found it to be such a great location, the quiet pool right out the door was a perfect place for some downtime.

[Grammy Grumpy]

All caught up now, what wonderful times you are having. POR is DH and my favorite moderate. Glad you are having a good time there.

[ilovedisney0_0]

I LOVE that bag! Soooo cute! I bet you are using it all of the time now!

[mpwife153]

What a surprise & I just the bag it came in ~ so cute!

[KMB733]

What a wonderful surprise! That bag is too cute!! Glad your trip is off to a good start!

[Jillybean]

That bag is precious! Danielle is such a sweetheart!

Jill

[PrincessSharon]

Sounds like a typical Nala & pride trip - full of pixie dust! I admit I may have gotten something in my eye when I read Kiara's reaction to seeing the ocean. And how sweet of Danielle to send you a surprise!

[Nala]

It didn’t take long for the four of us to get ready for the evening, and as we left the room, we noticed the blue skies had turned gray. Grumpy had done a quick check of the Weather Channel before we left the room, and while light rain was in the forecast, it didn’t look to be anything that would be a deal breaker for us. As we made our way to the boat dock, a little rain began to fall. Lucky for us, we were able to reach the waiting area for the boat before we got too wet.

Unfortunately, we had just missed a boat and had to wait for the next one. Fortunately, we were under a roof, so while the rain fell, we stayed dry. When the next boat arrived, we loaded up and were on our way to DTD. We all enjoyed our first trip down the river and found the sites along the way to be interesting. Sarafina was very impressed with the large mansion looking buildings we passed and when she asked what they were, I explained that they were the other side of POR. She said “Really? How much are those?”

I told her they were the same price as our room, and were actually the same sized rooms, but with a different décor. She seemed shocked by this, and I must admit, the mansions looked very grand. Our next location to pass was POFQ and it was Grumpy who asked what it was. Again, I explained. Grumpy stated he was glad I picked Riverside, as he thought the FQ looked a bit like a dated Holiday Inn.


After we left POFQ, I knew lodging that would interest Grumpy would be coming up. The Tree Houses. Once they came into view, as I expected, Grumpy asked what they were. We watched them as we floated past, and Grumpy said “ I want to stay in one of those”. My response? “Buy into DVC, honey. Buy into DVC.” I had to agree with him. The way the tree houses were surrounded with woods, and had those huge decks, I wanted to stay in one too. Maybe someday.

The boat chugged along and soon DTD came into view. The rain was stopping and it was Kiara that noticed something interesting in the sky and pointed it out.




A rainbow. But, it was only part of a rainbow. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful and it was a cool welcome to DTD.

Once off the boat, we headed up to do some shopping and the first thing I saw was Goofy’s Candy Company. Not that I had any intention of buying anything, as we had no need for snacks thanks to all the goodies now in our room, but I wanted to look around. Mostly, I just wanted to see the candy apples that were decorated for the holidays. I found them, but I also found a huge crowd of people and quickly noticed Grumpy throwing his hands up in the air and heading for the door opposite us. Ten seconds in the shop proved to be too much for him, and the three of us followed him outside. His shopping was done. Big shock.

We found our selves right outside the Christmas shop, and Kiara, Sarafina and I headed in, leaving Mr. Crabbypants outside. He told us to take his time as he was going to go in search of a bathroom and to call him when we escaped the madness. We enjoyed looking around but only purchased one thing before leaving that store. When we came out, I called Grumpy and discovered he was standing right behind me.

He was ready for a margarita and had somehow, while we were shopping, figured out where to get one. He lead the way and the three of us placed an order. Sarafina went for the strawberry one, but Grumpy and I were brave and ordered the lime habanero. Now, I love hot peppers, and I love lime margaritas, but I wasn’t too sure about the combination of the two. I took my first hesitant sip and was pleasantly surprised. There was a tiny hint of habanero flavor under the lime, and the slightest, little burn at the finish. It was devine! We took a few minutes to rest at a table near by and pulled out a map to figure out where we were heading for dinner.

We didn’t have to decide where to eat, as that was already decided, but we did need to locate the restaurant. Cooke’s of Dublin was easy to find on the map, and once I looked up from it and began to scan the buildings, I noticed it. As we approached it, I noticed that the limited seating inside was already filled and I crossed my fingers that we would be able to find a place to sit. We stepped inside to check out the menu and as I expected, Grumpy and Kiara both wanted the fish and chips. I was pretty sure I was going to get the chicken and field mushroom pie, and as I waited for Sarafina to make up her mind, I noticed an empty table outside at the bar. I quickly sent Grumpy and Kiara outside to claim it and when Sarafina made up her mind, I placed the order. I was handed a buzzy thing, and the two of us headed out to the table.

Within about ten minutes, the buzzer went off and I stepped inside to claim the food. I set the tray down on the table and everyone claimed their meal. Grumpy and Kiara’s fish and chips looked very good, but the chicken pies Sarafina and I ordered looked even better.






After only one bite, I knew I had made the right choice. The pie was hot and fresh, the crust was tender and flaky, and I found it was stuffed full of huge pieces of white meat chicken, large slices of mushrooms and a light, creamy white sauce. Every bite was better than the last. I wasn’t too sure about such a thing being served with fries, but those too were delish. The four of us really enjoyed this meal and it is a place we would gladly return to. I can’t believe I haven’t heard more about Cooke’s, and to be honest, I hope it remains as a quiet. little hidden gem.

With dinner done, Sarafina and I decided we should do a little more shopping. Grumpy was ready to ditch us and head back to the Port with Kiara, but before we could do any of that, we needed to find a bathroom. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, as the one closest to us was behind one of those huge walls with a sign stating “This area is being refurbished for your future enjoyment”. We wandered around like lost tourists and finally found ourselves in World of Disney asking a CM where the nearest one was. We were pleased to find that it was just a few steps in front of us.

When the four of us met back up again, our short time in World of Disney convinced Sarafina and I that we really didn’t need to do any shopping. The large crowds were getting to the two of us also, and we decided to head back outside and make our way to the boat dock. Kiara spotted the spitting Stitch and would not walk away until she was fully blasted by him. I walked her up to the wet spot on the pavement, lined her up and waited. And waited and waited and waited. It appeared that Stitch was taking a break or something, and just as I convinced her to walk away, he unloaded. Kiara got a good bit of a squirt and she laughed and giggled and squealed. We had to wait for a few more shots, and when she had her fill, we were able to get her to move on.

Grumpy noticed we were once again right in front of the margarita bar and asked if we were game for another one. Sarafina and I agreed and we found a table in front of the lake and sat down to enjoy the sights and sounds of DTD. It really was quite enjoyable from that vantage point, as there was no crowd around us to fight. On the stage outside of World of Disney, there was a dance party going on and Kiara enjoyed listening to the music, as did we.

When our margaritas were finished, we decided to head out and catch a boat back to the Port. We only waited a few minutes and our ride was home was a peaceful one. Our boat captain did do something that I appreciated, that of slowing down and giving us a lesson on the birds that were lined up on the bank.

We were thrilled he did this as in the last year, Kiara has developed a huge interest in birds. We have a book of birds of Illinois that we keep handy at home, and anytime she sees one she doesn’t know what it is, she runs to the book and flips through the pages until she finds it. Once found, she heads to the computer to look it up on Whatbird.com to listen to its call.

With the trip coming up, and knowing that we would see all kinds of birds that neither Grumpy or I would know what they were, we bought her the Florida version of bird book we have for Illinois. The boat captain did us a huge favor telling us what the birds were we saw, as it saved Grumpy and I from flipping through the pages once back in the room to try and figure them out.

Once back at the Port, Sarafina and Kiara were ready to turn in. I got Kiara settled in on her little trundle bed and when she was moments away from sleep, I headed down to the pool to sit with Grumpy for a few minutes. As we sat and talked, I found my eyelids starting to droop and I too decided to turn in. When I got back to the room, both Kiara and Sarafina were asleep and I turned in and decided to watch a little TV. A few minutes after I climbed into bed, huge booms rattled the walls. Fireworks! I had hoped that Kiara would sleep though them, but they were very, very loud and she awoke with a start and popped straight up and said “What’s that?” I couldn’t lie to her, as the sound was unmistakable, and told her what the booms were. She was a bit uncomfortable with the noise, but soon laid back down and attempted to go back to sleep.

A few minutes after the fireworks stopped, Kiara drifted back to sleep. And a few minutes after that, Grumpy returned to the room asking if we had heard the fireworks. How could we not? Seriously, they were loud. He turned in and quickly fell asleep and once again, I was the last one standing. After about a half an hour, I turned off the TV and decided to join the rest of the pride in slumber.


What a glorious day it had been. It was a day that had started with me holding my daughter’s hand as she witnessed her first sunrise on the beach. It was a day that was sprinkled with little touches of magic like getting a great room and not having to wait long for it. It was a day that was touched by the generosity and thoughtfulness of a dear friend. It was a day spent doing a whole lot of nothing, but enjoying every moment of it. And, most importantly, it was a day spent with the people I love most. Days like that don’t come along often, and they don’t get much better than that.

Up next: One fabulous, feta infused, really good breakfast
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

[luvnwdwgal]

So glad you had such a wonderful day! Looking forward to more!

[KMB733]

What a great finish to a wonderful day!!

[B.M.]

Great day!

[mpwife153]

Other than the crowds in the shops, it was a wonderful way to end the fist day in the World! We have made going to DTD on the first day a tradition. can't wait to hear what comes next!

[WHMom]

What an awesome day! And I should have guessed that Danielle was the one sending you a surprise! Isn't she the best??