Trip #19 Goals--How Did We Do?

Goal 1:  Meet and greet with Santa!  It's the holidays and it wouldn't be complete without an audience with the festive guy in the red suit.  I've got 2 different plans to make this happen.  We'll see which one plans out.  And, you never know when magic will come our way in the form of pixie dust.

How did we do?  We crushed it!  On our arrival evening, we made our way to Disney's Hollywood Studios and there was a 20 minute wait for Santa so we hopped in line!  We could see the new holiday projection show on Tower of Terror from the line as well as hear the music and we even got snowed on!

The next day, Christmas Eve Day, we were at EPCOT.  I knew Santa and Mrs. Claus were greeting guests at the American Adventure Pavilion as times were in the Times Guide.  What we did not anticipate was the LONG wait (45 minutes), but it was worth it!

Goal 2:  Spend some time with another Williams Family who will also be making their way to Walt Disney World.  It wouldn't be the first time we've "bumped" into each other at Walt Disney World.

How did we do?  Whew hew!  We found each other at the entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The boys got to ride Star Tours together and we enjoyed Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!  We hope they had a magical trip!  (This isn't the first time we have bumped into each other in the middle of the magic.)

Goal 3:  Enjoying our family.  One of the things that keeps us returning to Walt Disney World is that it offers an escape from the hustle, bustle, and distraction of the rest of the world.  We get to enjoy each other.  I can feel it the moment we get in the car--the vacation bubble, and eventually the Disney bubble applies.

How did we do?  From my perspective we enjoyed many moments together and created new memories.  Like the guys posing in front of the Blues Brother at the House of Blues at Disney Springs and the husband and boy posing for a photo for the Photopass photographer--Selfie on a Speeder.  Together we laughed, smiled, and told stories.

Ryan and Us during Behind The Seeds Tour

Goal 4:  Try something new.  Our plans already have two new-to-us adventures as a part of our itinerary.  Anything else, is just a bonus!

How did we do?  Well, the Candlelight Processional is now a holiday must-do for us.  I don't have any photos, just video on my phone that I shared on Facebook--click here and it will take you to that post.
We even purchased an ornament to remind us of the Candlelight Processional.

The other "new to us" adventure was the Behind the Seeds Tour at EPCOT featuring the Living With The Land attraction at The Land Pavilion.  This 60-75minute tour was very good!  We now have another special tour under our belts.

We also ate at a new restaurant--The Wave--at The Contemporary Resort, which we enjoyed very much.  The grits are wonderful!  And, the refillable mimosas were good, too!

Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar was a new-to-us destination at Disney Springs.  We ordered appetizers and drinks--which is what they serve--and enjoyed the ambiance, stories, and relics from the Indiana Jones movies.

Goal 5:  Spend time in or around water.  Whether this be a resort pool or a Disney water park, the goal will have been met.

How did we do?  While we didn't make it to a water park--only Typhoon Lagoon was open--we did have one afternoon by and in the pool for all of us and another afternoon poolside--not in the water but nearby.

Goal 6:   Have fun and make memories!  So many of our family's stories come from trips and experiences that I am hopeful we get to add another story to the memoirs.

How did we do?  Two thumbs up on this one!  See "Goal #3" for more of an update.  What's funny is that the guys are still playing out clown scenes from La Nouba!  We told the boy not to do that at school as no one would know what he was doing or what he meant. He agreed, but thought he could explain it to his friends.

Goal 7:  Catch the nighttime spectaculars at all four parks.  Three out of four are certainties.  We'll work at making it four out of four.

Christmas Eve was perfect for Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!

Then we took a boat to EPCOT for dinner and Illuminations!

We saw Star Wars Galactic Spectacular on our arrival night at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

How did we do?  100%!  Four out of four parks, but actually more than 100% as Hollywood Studios was offering two different fireworks shows--Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam AND Star Wars Galactic Specatacular!  We also say the New Year's Eve preview fireworks at Magic Kingdom as we had tickets for the Dessert Party, Illuminations at EPCOT with the holiday finale, and Rivers of Light at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  We have now seen Rivers of Light three times and we're good for a while.

Goal 8:  Have some "lasts."  We have tickets for the last LaNouba performance EVER!  Flights of Wonder at Disney's Animal Kingdom has their last show on Dec. 31 so seeing if we can fit this in on our Animal Kingdom day.

How did we do?  Nailed it!  The last show of La Nouba was amazing.  We could feel the energy in the crowd as we watched audience members hug each other.  Many previous cast and crew returned for the last performance.  There were standing ovations throughout the show as various acts performed for the last time.  The last 20 minutes of the show was live-streamed. The countdown and balloon drop after the show, as it was New Year's Eve, was another fantastic Disney touch.  Receiving a commemorative pin was icing on the cake!

We also made it to Flights of Wonder at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  The boy was picked out of the audience to throw the grape in the air for the bird to catch and eat.  I got picked out of the audience to film the owl flying across the audience.  After the show, a fellow message board person approached me and said "hello" and that she knew me from the boards.  It was great to bump into her and her daughter!

Goal 9:  Stake out prospects for trip #20.  Yes, trip #20 is already on the books and by the time we return from trip #19, it will be just a few days until we make Fastpasses.

How did we do?  We picked up a few things.  We left room in our vacation to change plans whether it be touring or dining.  It's easy to do with the My Disney Experience app.

Still smiling and looking forward to the next amazing Walt Disney World Williams Family vacation!

Our Photos of New Year's Eve on the Disney Fantasy!

Imagine if you will that it is New Year’s Eve on the Disney Fantasy.  Hundreds of guests are milling around in the Lobby Atrium on Deck 3, listening to live music, and getting their photos taken while dressed in some of their finest clothing.  The time is just after the first dinner seating and show and just before the second dinner seating and show.  That’s when we did it!

We walked into the Lobby Atrium in our slippers and matching flannel pajamas.  Why?  We wanted photos! 

We brought along the New Year’s Eve top hats that were left in our stateroom and provided to all guests to commemorate the occasion.

Other guests’ responses?  Smiles, nods, and positive comments.  I’m thinking Disney Cruise Line might get more guests doing the same in the future.  And the photographers were happy to snap our photos.  I had checked with one of the photographers on a previous evening, as she even offered the vestibule area for us to change in if we wanted/needed.  We didn’t use the space but it was great of her to offer.

The pajamas were so comfortable, I almost wore them to the show, but the boy frowned upon that idea.  A guest who had been with us in line for photos with her family of 18 prior to dinner, caught a glimpse of us in our pajamas.  She saw us again as we entered the Walt Disney Theater to catch the production and we were back in our dinner clothes.  She said, “How did you do that?”  Ah, it’s all about the quick change!  I was thinking that the location of our stateroom helps too!

Not only do we have photos, but we have the fun memories! 

"Con's" of Our New Year's Cruise on the Disney Fantasy

To read the "Pro's" post--click here.

Someone mentioned to me after reading the “Pro’s” post that they knew a “Con’s” post wasn’t far behind.  Correct they are!

Let me begin by saying that taking a Disney Cruise is magical and for many, they only dream of sailing the seas with Disney.  We have been fortunate enough to be able to sail multiple times with Disney and as you can read in the “Pro’s” post, there are many reasons that keep us coming back.  On our most recent 7-night sailing on the Disney Fantasy, we experienced a few bumps in the road, or shall I say high waves:

Con’s:

Stateroom bathroom that wasn’t clean.  Yep, when we walked into our stateroom we discovered that there was hair in various places in our stateroom bathroom.  We immediately let Guest Services know and a team of crew showed up at our door.  I pointed out what I could see, including on the towel draped over the side of the tub meant for our future use and they got to work.  The Housekeeping Manager also stopped by the next day to make sure everything was okay and Guest Services had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our stateroom.  Nice touch, but it was just after dinner and the plate wouldn’t fit in the stateroom refrigerator/cooler.

No More Mickey Mail. We knew this was coming--no more dropping off items at Guest Services to be autographed while you enjoy your cruise.  So, we toted autograph items around throughout the cruise--a pillow case and picture frame matte.  And while I knew ahead of time that the service was no longer available and checked just to be sure, other guests were surprised and complained a bit noting that it was "easier" before.  I checked in with the crew and found out that they were surprised that Mickey Mail went away.  They noted that instead of 45 guests getting to meet characters during an appearance that 30 guests would make it through the line in the same amount of time.  That also means fewer photos taken and possibly fewer photo sales. 

No Clock in our stateroom.  I had read that at the Walt Disney World Resort, they were removing the clocks from the resort rooms and only putting them in at guest request—as an experiment of sorts.  So, when there was no clock in our stateroom I wondered if it was the same thing.  We did request a clock and received one.  But informal polling of other guests indicated that clocks were standard in other staterooms.

No Body Wash—or a limited supply.  This item speaks to our enjoyment of the Disney Cruise Line toiletry products.  The shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and various boxes of soap were kept in good supply.  But, not Body Wash.  When the Housekeeping Manager checked in on us, I asked about getting Body Wash.  He said that he would check, but that the product may no longer be available.  We DID get two tubes in our bathroom over the coming days.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks not Pirate Night—for most people this would be a “pro.”  Fireworks at sea on New Year’s Eve!  Only one of us saw them and that was the boy.  I knew I couldn’t make it until midnight and the husband followed suit.  If the fireworks were on Pirate Night, we would be watching them at 10:00 or 10:15, not midnight.  Anyway, the boy enjoyed them and we heard that two other cruise ships from other companies sailed nearby to take advantage of the fireworks viewing as well.

Limited Pirate Night—because of New Year’s Eve, Pirate Night was somewhat diminished.  Yes, there was a Deck show/party at 7:45 pm.  Yes, there were bandanas left in our stateroom for us to use.  And, yes, there were pirate characters to meet.  But there was no Pirate Menu for dinner.  My taste buds were ready for some crab cakes.  Next cruise!

Time and the use of time—A Disney Cruise hosts guests and crew from across the world and I know that time and the use of time is cultural.  At the same time, there are schedules for a reason.  And while I have never done this on previous cruises, on our most recent sailing I bailed on two different occasions due to how time was being used.

The first was a Mixology class on our first at sea day.  The time of the class was 3:00 pm.  Both the husband and I had signed up, had our tickets, and had told the boy that we would meet him at 3:45.  We arrived a few minutes prior to 3:00 pm in the Meridian Lounge on Deck 12 and enjoyed the view of Havana.  The bar was set up for the class, guests had gathered, and we were told they were waiting for the bartender.  At 3:25, the same man who had told us we were waiting for the bartender decided to begin the class and ask for volunteers to make the first drink.  This is when I stood up and left.  I leaned in and told him that the class was supposed to start at 3:00 and that it was now 3:25 and he was just getting to the first drink.  The husband stayed.  I did not get charged for the class.  Note:  We did do a second mixology class with a different bartender in Skyline later in the cruise—it went much smoother!

The second bail was our port adventure/excursion in Cozumel.  Those that have taken Disney’s Port Adventures know that you are given a ticket with a designated meeting time and location.  We were to meet in the Walt Disney Theater at 9:45.  We arrived a few minutes prior and watched how the one half of the theater was filled and then the other half—I’m estimating 500 people.  We sat and sat and were told that we couldn’t leave because the gang planks had closed due to another ship docking at the pier.  We waited some more.  Then, we were getting off the ship and stopped twice on the pier to wait for the remaining guests to gather.  An hour into our Port Adventure we had only made it to the end of the pier.  I knew what was coming next—everyone up the escalators, across the mall—for more waiting---down the stairs to the buses and then a 25 minute ride to the beach/resort.  We turned around and headed back to the ship and happened to bump into the crew member who had been helping us in the theater.  She was surprised to see us.  I explained that we had been at this for an hour and had only made it to the end of the pier.  The Port Adventures Manager was right there and he heard our story.  He issued a refund, which I wasn’t expecting, for our Port Adventure.  We enjoyed the rest of the day on a near empty ship.

Disney Cruise Line has an exit survey that they want all guests to complete and these items were included in our survey.  Were these issues so large that they ruined our cruise?  No way!  Again, just bumps in the road or high waves on the sea.

P.S.  We did make it to our Port Adventure/Excursion in Jamaica for River Tubing on the Martha Brae River.  Our bottoms hit the tubes in the river two hours after checking in for our Port Adventure on the ship.  There were 36 people in our group.

One More Disney Day--2012

Nostradamus I am not, but I did get some of the predictions correct for the big New Year’s Eve announcement from Disney—One More Disney Day. (Click here to read more about the speculation.)

Indeed, the speculation regarding a 24 hour park opening was correct.  Beginning at 6:00 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012, both the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Park in California will be open for 24 hours.  It is the first time ever this has happened!

While this event may make history—it’s never been done before, guests at Walt Disney World right now get 18 hours of Magic Kingdom fun due to the high capacity of the park.  With Extra Magic Hours, Magic Kingdom was open from 7:00 am until 3:00 am.  After an 18 hour opening, 24 hours won’t seem like such a big deal. 

Also, the 24 hour celebration is only for Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom.  What about parks around the globe?  What about the three other parks at Walt Disney World?

And, I was correct about the free night promotion—for One More Disney Day.  Guests can spend an extra night free at either a Disneyland Resort Hotel or a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel when they book a Room and Ticket Package for 3 nights or more, between February 26 and March 10, 2012.  The purchase must be made before Jan. 31, 2012.  This special is great for those who can make it during this time.  I was hoping for a year long special of some sort.

Just a note:  in March of 2009 and 2010, we took advantage of two different specials of “buy 4 nights, get 3 nights and tickets free” that were being offered at the time.  Yes, I know that Disney is cutting back on specials.  I’m just saying that the “free night” when compared to past offerings isn’t that great of a deal.  And, since it requires a “Room and Ticket Package” won’t be the best deal for Annual Pass holders—who want room discounts.

What I hadn’t predicted was the 60 days of trip giveaways.  Starting Jan. 2, 2012, guests can enter every day for a chance to win one of 60 vacation packages for 4 to either Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort.  Guess who has entered once already!  Click here to enter.

There was no news about the Disney Wonder and what it will be doing in December 2012, after Disney Cruise Line canceled four Mexican Riviera sailings.  There was no news about itineraries for 2013 for the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.  Some are hoping/predicting that this news will happen in mid-January.  If Disney Cruise Line waits too long to make these announcements, it may interfere with the press about the launch of the Disney Fantasy, set to make its maiden voyage on March 31, 2012.

Time will tell what One More Disney Day will be for the rest of 2012.  Maybe other promotions will follow this initial offer.  And, I’m curious to find out who will be in attendance at the Magic Kingdom on February 29, 2012. 

Happy New Year!

One More Disney Day--Speculation About Disney's NYE Announcement

I sometimes forget that not everyone is a Disney fan like me and our family.  So the blank stares from friends and relatives were a bit of a surprise when I told them that Disney is making a big announcement New Year’s Eve during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve—if that is still the name of the show.

The internet is all a buzz as to what the announcement might be.  Disney’s theme for 2012—The Year of More Magic—has already been announced.  What else could it be?

Some speculate that the announcement will contain information about the opening of at least some of Fantasyland during its extensive refurbishment.  Maybe a firm date?  Or, maybe some of it will open the next day?  The timeframe already given was early 2012, but that would be VERY early!

Some speculate that since 2012 is a Leap Year, and the tag line for the announcement is “One More Disney Day”, that there will be a special celebration on February 29, 2012, that will include the parks being open for 24 hours.  Hmmm. . .  That time of year isn’t exactly “peak” season for travel to the parks and resorts.  This would be a one time cash layout for labor costs that would only last one day.

Others speculate that the announcement will include information about the 2013 itineraries for the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, as they have yet to be announced.  And, since Disney Cruise Line just recently announced that four of the Wonder’s Mexican Riviera itinerary sailings have been canceled for Dec. 2012—click here to read more—it would make sense to include information about the Wonder would be doing in December of 2012, too. 

I’m going out on a limb here with some guessing, speculation, and intuition. It’s the tag line for the promo/announcement that really got me thinking—One More Disney Day.  Hmmm. . . My prediction is some sort of year long special that adds on a “day” at the Disney parks for free for guests.  I shared this thought with the husband.  He told me not to “put it out there.”  I’m doing it anyway.

Cost wise, it wouldn’t cost Disney a bunch to add on an addition “free” day to park tickets.  Going from a 4 day ticket to a 5 day ticket is a minimal cost--$7 or less per person.  Disney would recoup that money with the additional overnight stay in the resorts for guests taking advantage of the special, money spent on food, souvenirs, etc.  Now, if the special includes the overnight stay with the promotion, then we are talking about some serious incentive.  But, it’s not the first time Disney has offered “buy some, get some free” type specials for park tickets and resort stays.  We’ve taken advantage of two similar offers.

You heard it, well read it, here first. 

My e-mail is set to receive the announcement directly from Disney in case I drift off to sleep.  The DVR is set to record the program, again for the reason previously mentioned.  Let’s see what all this fuss is about!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to friends, family, and readers!  We hope the New Year brings you health and happiness.  Remember, a dream is a wish your heart makes.  So, keep dreaming!  With hope, trust, and pixie dust, your dreams really can come true.  Here’s to Disney dreams in 2011 and beyond!  “Clink”

New Year's Eve on the Disney Magic

Here we are New Year's Eve on the Disney Magic. Donald Duck happily portrayed the New Year's "Baby" complete with diaper and bottle.

Seven night itineraries include a formal and semi-formal night. If you decide to rent a tuxedo package through Cruise Formal Wear on-line, the package includes two shirts. This is great for the semi-formal night which comes later in the cruise. The fellows jazzed up their "tuxes" with a pin lanyard and a vest. http://www.cruiselineformal.com/

Getting face time with Disney Characters on board is super easy with the Personal Navigator provided to each stateroom each evening. The Personal Navigor lists almost all of the events the next day including time, duration, and location. I wish I had a Personal Navigator provided to me each day for my life!