Hello all! We just got back from a fabulous “Dream” trip on the Disney Dream, along with a stay at Residence Inn, Cape Canaveral, Pop Century at WDW, and Residence Inn near Sea World, with a few park visits to Magic Kingdom, Sea World and Epcot!
The dates of this trip were March 30th to April 6th.
Let’s get started with the introductions of who was SUPPOSED to go on this trip.
Me~ Jennifer~ The mom of 3 LOVELY Children (though they are not always lovely at the same time…or even all the time) I am a very BIG Disney fan and am always trying to think of a way to get there!
Skip~ My Wonderful husband of almost 9 years. He is a good dad, and he even puts up with my passion for Disney…though usually with a lot of eye rolling.
Claire~ a 6 year old girl who loves Disney very much and was very excited to take her first Cruise, as well as seeing and dressing like the Princesses.
My 2 other children are now adults and did not travel with us nor really want to for the most part. They are Michael and Paige.
As the title will tell you, we had a few mishaps, and there was a cast change…more on that in a bit.
Now for a little background info…….history. It is a little long, but I promise, I have a ton of pictures to post after all of this!
This is one of those trips that I thought just never would happen…I know, you’ve heard it all before, but HONESTLY, it really took a LONG time to get to this point.
We have gone to Disney with Claire in March of 2007, 2008 and 2009. I really wanted to go again in 2010. Skip had had a hip replacement in late 2009 and just was not ready to go back in early 2010. But believe me, I tried to convince him all the same. Claire and I then came up with the plan that we should go for her 6th birthday in December. Skip said he would think about it. Through out the year, we got a lot of “some days”, “we’ll sees”, and “maybes”.
In the mean time, Skip was still having troubles with his hip and had been sent to several different Drs…all of them claiming to have no clue what was wrong with him.
In Oct Skip started talking more about a possible Dec. trip. We had dates set, and places we want to go, etc.
Then he threw a wrench in my plans. “How much does a Disney cruise cost?”…. I was shocked! I had tried to convince him to do this in 2009 for my 40th birthday, but when it came down to it, he decided he would rather go to WDW. He had worries about a cruise with a little one with us.
I did some quick pricing, and the price for 3 nights on the Wonder, along with a few nights at WDW were almost the same as 7 nights at WDW. Before making it a done deal, Skip had one more Dr’s appointment he wanted to attend and see what was determined. This was with his hip Dr. who had claimed all year long that nothing was wrong with the hip.
Things totally changed this day. The Dr found that the implant had never adhered to the bone and the replacement was going to need to be replaced. It was scheduled for Dec 6th….2 days before we had planned to leave for our vacation.
Plans then were postponed and we decided we would go in March and still be able to catch the free dining. (I must note that even though we agreed on this, Skip sometimes doesn’t listen to me and just agrees anyways).
Mid January rolls around, Skip seems to be healing well, and I mention that we have to have Disney paid for soon to be able to get the free dining. Skip goes in panic mode and says, he doesn’t care about saving money (yeah right) and he would rather go in May now, but he WOULD NOT commit to any dates. Let’s just say that I wasn’t happy, and for a few days there wasn’t much talking going on at all in our house.
A few days later, Skip mentions he has called a Travel Agent and has looked at possibly going on the Disney Dream or going to Disneyland in CA. My job then, was to spend lots of hours on the computer pricing several scenarios, we chose the 3 night Dream, with a few added park days.
FINALLY a trip is booked!
Of course about 2 seconds after we got in line, Claire had to go potty. I told her we should go, and she said she would be ok as long as the ride didn’t go fast…well duh…we left the line and went to the bathroom!
We quickly made a potty stop and went back into the fast pass line.
We had a little wait, even with fast passes, but not too bad. Nothing like the Soarin’ wait was.
I think we were moving at a fairly decent pace and that’s why my pictures are so crappy…or at least I’m gonna blame it on that reason.
Soon we were in our car and off to race around the track. We had a young girl in our car with us. She had said she rode the ride about 10 times in a row. She just kept going back in the single rider line and getting right back on. Claire was a little nervous. She couldn’t remember riding the ride from the last trip too much.
After Test Track, Claire decided she wanted to ride spaceship earth one more time. We went to cut through Mousegears and Claire spotted a swirly pop and I had told her she could eventually get some sort of sucker on the trip, so now was the time.
We also started doing a little more shopping. I had realized that I still had quite a bit of money left. I guess I over budgeted (not a bad thing) and I started eyeing the Dooney and Bourke purses. At first I just kind of casually looked at them, then I started touching and feeling…and THEN I got a sales lady involved and I was hooked. I had a real hard time deciding. The ones I liked best, I wasn’t impressed with the style or texture. Well I really like the 40th anniversary ones best, but those prices were much higher. I was in there forever looking at stuff and Claire was very patient.
I went through the purses and I finally decided on this one. At first I didn’t like the pattern at all, but REALLY liked the style….but after looking a bit, the pattern grew on me and I decided on it.
The lady went to the back for a minute and that was a bad thing. I started looking again and then found another on a top shelf that I liked as well. It was bigger…..really big actually, but I liked the pattern more. The price was only about $5 difference, so I couldn’t really decide by price. When the lady came back she laughed and we started the process all over again. We had a male CM come and look at the purses and tell me which he liked better. He liked the bigger one. I decided to ask Claire and she liked the bigger one, so that is what I got.
Now if you remember WAY back to Easter, I ended up ordering the other one when I got home and Easter Bunny brought it to me!
I have to say I REALLY love the big bag….so much so that I have yet to switch over to the black one yet. I think I will do it soon. I just love all the room in the big one. I can just throw stuff in it and go. I kind of use it like a tote at times.
So back to Mousegears. I bought the big white purse and then I threw my camera bag inside of it and used it right then and there. My Mom called and after I figured out how to answer her dang phone, she asked where we were. I let her know that we were going to take a spin on Spaceship Earth and then head to World Showcase for Illuminations. They had a spot in Canada already.
Claire and I got right on Spacehsip Earth and enjoyed our ride. I took no pictures that time around. I just enjoyed the ride.
When we came out, Claire found a Daisy topiary and had to have a picture.
We made our way towards World Showcase.
We stopped for one last photopass.
We could smell popcorn and it smelt soooo good. Claire wanted some, but the line was long and we were running late.
As we got closer to Canada, I pulled out the phone and tried to figure out how to dial it. I just couldn’t get it. Luckily it rang and it was Mom. She told us how to get to them and soon we found them. They did have an excellent spot for viewing.
After the show we all started our way up front. Now I knew it was going to be a mad rush, so I told Mom and Dad that Claire and I were going to go slowly and also shop a bit more. Claire still had money burning a hole in her pocket and I told her we could look one last time…..after all she was patient with my shopping.
This was the last picture I took that night.
Claire and headed into Mousegears once again. She looked around and picked a stuffed baby Bambi and a stuffed Dug that talked. We paid for the purchases and saw “our” sales lady and she came over to talk and ask how I was liking the bag so far…EXCELLENT! I told her!
After we worked our way out of the store (it was a mad house) we walked over to the lockers and got my backpack out and then went and had the $5 deposit refunded.
At this point in time I was just dead tired. I had the last day blues now. Nothing more to look forward too, the lack of sleep was catching up. I totally just gave in. Little did I know that my biggest mishap was about to unfold.
It’s hard to be happy when you have to get up bright and early the next day to go home. The only good thing at home was my husband.
Claire and I headed towards the tram. I must say I really dislike the tram. It just doesn’t have the same feeling to me as riding the buses back to the resort. We got on, with my arms filled. Claire had her new purchases; I had a big Dooney, a backpack and a stroller. I crammed myself into a row and just went into a daze.
A few minutes later I realized a CM was talking to me. Claire was sitting on the outside of the tram and she needed to switch with me. I didn’t even know this was a rule. So I tried to move, but it seemed next to impossible as I was wedged in and the people to my right weren’t moving either. Luckily the guy in front of us grabbed the stroller so we could switch. We made the short trek out to the parking lot and got off.
Mom and Dad had moved the van from where I had originally parked it earlier in the day. So I searched for the new number and walked down that row. We got almost to the end with no luck. We started walking back and still couldn’t find it. We finally got a call from them and they told me the row number again…same row I was in…but no van. So they flashed the lights and I found them….several rows over.
We moseyed over there and I got in the van and immediately looked for my missing phone. It was NOT to be found. I used Moms phone to call my phone and it went to voicemail immediately. NOT Good. That meant someone had turned it off. I panicked!
I told Mom we had to go back into the park to report it lost and then I started crying….not just crying…..but sobbing like a big baby. The week had caught up to me and I was wiped out.
We decided to drive up to the front, but I had no clue where to go…and the whole time I am trying to figure this out my Dad is sitting next to me saying things like “Why are we going to the front”, “We need to get back to the hotel”, “Whats going on?”. My Mom just yelled at him….”She’s LOST her $250 phone and we NEED to find it” How he missed this piece of info, I have no clue.
So then they start to tell me to drive towards a security car. Where? I don’t see one. Mom tells Dad he should drive since I am upset and I shouted a big NO! That would make me more upset. LOL! So they keep telling me to go to the security car and I couldn’t still see it. Well it was behind a big truck and pole, so from where I was sitting it was next to impossible to see it.
We did make it over to him and through my tears I told him my story and he basically had no clue what to do. He said go to the gates and ask there, so we did.
As we got up there Mom told Dad to go with me, and again I said no. I parked in a handicap spot and jumped out and made my way up to the gates and talked to another security officer. These 2 guys were much more knowledgeable. They told me where to go and what to do. The one asked me if I had an Iphone and I said, no, a Droid, and he said, he wanted to warn me that it was very likely I would never get it back. Those kinds of phones are very popular and people will find them and keep them to sell or convert to their own use. So of course I cried some more.
They got me in the gates and then directed me to guest services. I went there and tried to dry my tears as I made the walk. But that was useless…the week had caught up to me and I just couldn’t stop. I went in and a guy asked if he could help me. I first said I was sorry that I was crying, but it had been a long trip traveling with my parents…he seemed to understand. LOL! I told him I lost my phone and wondered if it had been turned in. He asked the color, and I was at a blank. I spitted out that it was black or grey, a droid, Nextel, and it had a white sleeve on it.
He said he would go to the back and look. I waited only a minute and her returned holding my phone in the air~! I could’ve jumped over that counter and kissed him! He had me turn it on to be sure it was mine…and of course it was. He said it had been turned in that morning and was found in the parking lot…which meant that someone found it within minutes of me dropping it. It also had no water damage( remember it had been raining that morning), so whoever found it, found it fast! I was so happy that that person took the time to turn it in. There are some honest people out there!
The guy told me not to feel bad because there were several phones back there from just that day!
I had to sign a form that said I picked it up and then I made my way back out to the parking lot. I called Mom on my way back out and she was soo happy that it was found. She said that Claire had said a prayer that it was found. Claire was worried why Mommy was so sad. Aww….my wonderful little angel!
We drove back to the hotel and Dad was pretty quiet. I think My Mom might’ve given him a little lecture while I was gone. LOL!
We were exhausted when we got back, but we hadn’t eaten any supper, so I warmed up the leftovers from The Cheesecake Factory and we finished those off. Claire ate a bit of her cheesecake too and then I put her to bed. We told her she had to get right up the next day, no fussing, because we had to get to the airport and then we would be seeing Dad.
I went and took a walk outside and called Skip. I told him about the days events and all about my phone. (which he thought was funny) He was missing us a lot and couldn’t wait for us to get him.
I finished off my cheesecake and a little bit of Claires too and did the final packing and crawled into bed as well.
I set my phone alarm for around 6 and was out pretty fast.
And that’s the end of Day 7. It was a very fun day with a few bits of Drama. Even though I lost the phone, it all worked out for me in the end…and I probably needed that cry. LOL!
The alarm went of at 6 AM. I jumped out of bed and went to turn it off. I about jumped out of my skin when I turned back and ran into Claire. She was right up and at my heels. She said she was excited to go home and see Daddy. This was the kid we had to shake awake all week long!
Claire’s note for today (and I can’t remember the gift)
And I don’t think I posted the one from the day before.
She got a muppets pencil, eraser and pad of paper set this day.
I also believe that Dad finally had lift off this day! LOL!
We all got ready and went down for a quick breakfast.
When we returned I took a few last pictures of the room…and yes it is very messy.
It was time to go. We packed up the van and also hoped all our bags would be under the weight limit. I had put some of my stuff into Mom and Dads bag to distribute the weight better.
We made the drive to Sanford and Claire started having tummy troubles again. Since I needed gas and we were fairly close I made a stop at a gas station. Dad was having a fit again. He said that I had told him I always got gas at the same station every year. One that was right next to the airport and why weren’t we going there….well because my daughter was having tummy troubles, so lets kill 2 birds with one stone…..
So Mom ran Claire in and I filled up the van.
Mom and Claire returned with no success. Like I have said before, sometimes it takes a few tries for Claire before she can actually go. I did go in and buy a roll of Tums and gave Claire one.
We took off for the airport once again and of course Claire’s tummy was still troubling her. When we got to the airport I dropped the family and bags off. Mom ran Claire to the bathroom again and Dad was going to wait with the bags till I got back to help.
I took the Van to the drop off lot and made the long trek back to the airport. Mom and Claire were coming out at the same time I arrived and we had success! Claire’s belly no longer hurt! YAY!
We went to check in and I decided to put one carryon through this time. They had the free carryon offer again and I was sick of luggage at this point in time. I set my 1 bag up and it weighed only 35 pounds. I was amazed. I thought for sure it would be much more. Then my 2nd bag….50.5…UH ooH! It was over, but the lady said she wasn’t going to worry about ½ pound. Good! We also checked the stroller in this time. We did not need it again so no need to actually gate check it.
We went through security, which if I remember right, had quite a long line, but moved swiftly.
One thing I realized after I got my stuff back was that I had sent a hand sanitizer strapped on my camera bag through…not in a baggie. They never said anything about it…just let it go.
Off to the gate, with a stop at Cinnabon for a few minis. We found some seats and Mom, Claire and I headed off to the gift shop for some drinks and Claire talked Mom into a coloring thing for the plane.
We all used the potty one last time and soon it was time to board again…of course with all those people without seating assignments standing in the way of those who have 1. I understand they want to get a decent seat, but honestly, if you wanted a really good seat, then you should’ve paid for one.
We took off pretty much on time. Claire colored, and I wrote up some more notes from the trip.
I did take a few shots as we were flying.
And a few shots of my best traveling buddy.
After a bit Claire was a little bored and I told her I was tired and she was most likely too, so why didn’t she lean against me and sleep and I would take a nap too and we did. I think she went pretty much out and I dozed pretty good myself….for a good 40 minutes or so.
We landed and Claire and I made our way off the plane. Mom waited for Dad since he was several rows back.
Skip and I had joked that when I got off the plane and saw him, I would come running to him and jump into his arms and wrap my legs around him…like in the movies. Of course he has had his hip replaced…twice….so that wouldn’t work. He then had said he would do it to me instead! LOL! Well we never actually did that.
We came down the steps to see Skip waiting for us. Claire was soooo excited. He on the other hand pretended not to see us and Claire was having a fit. She ran and hugged him and then he pretended like he just realized we were there. I had to laugh, because Skip likes to be a clown at times….and he didn’t disappoint. He had on his most raggedly pair of work pants on….ones with a hole right in the crotch….Yep! ……Everyone, you can’t have him….that’s MY man….the one with a huge hole in the crotch of his pants. He’s a keeper!
Claire and I took a potty break and then met up with Mom and Dad and went on to claim the luggage.
We headed home, which is only about 10 minutes away from Toledo airport and I started the wonderful task of laundry.
I also loaded my pictures on the computer and that is when I discovered that I had lost a card. At first I thought I was messing something up, but it soon dawned on me that one of my SD cards was missing. Thankfully it was MOSTLY video, but I still did lose some good pictures. I think I also loaded my photopass that day or the next as well.
And then Claire and I slept. We were VERY tired and I swear it took me weeks to recover from the trip. I wanted to nap all the time and I couldn’t get energy. I guess that was the Disney blues too.
I did take a few pictures of the goodies we brought home as well.
Here is some of the Fish extender loot.
The glasses from the cruise.
I don’t think I ever took a picture of the watch Claire got, but here is a lot of her other goodies.
This trip was fantastic. Not perfect…and yes we …mostly me…had our share of mishaps, but in the end, it was still great fun. Now I need to try and talk Skip into going on another Disney cruise next year….so he can actually go on one. Claire talks about it still. She enjoyed her Disney time, but the cruise was very memorable for her.
Little did I know when I came home that I would be going back to Disney in just a few months time and also visiting the Dream as well! This year has been very good to me and I am grateful. I hope the pixie dust keeps flying this way!
Thank you all for reading and hanging out with me for these past few months!
Awww, so sad it's over But it definitely sounds like you guys had a great time. Every trip has mishaps (unfortunately!!) Claire is adorable and I love the posing she did with all the topiaries
Awww, so sad it's over But it definitely sounds like you guys had a great time. Every trip has mishaps (unfortunately!!) Claire is adorable and I love the posing she did with all the topiaries
But it definitely sounds like you guys had a great time. Every trip has mishaps (unfortunately!!) Claire is adorable and I love the posing she did with all the topiaries 