Trip Report ***COMPLETED*** Girls Just Wanna Have Sun ☀️

Hello friends, and welcome to my second trip report! I enjoyed writing my Disneyland TR so much that I’m back again to report on my next adventure! Let’s hop right into it!

What: A Disney CRUISE! I haven’t been on a cruise since 2004 (I was 13!), and I haven’t been on a Disney Cruise since my family cruised on the Wonder wayyyy back in 2002 (the Wonder was the newest ship back then!). Followed by one night at WDW.

When: Leaving GA the afternoon of 2/13, boarding the Dream for 3 nights on 2/14, in WDW 2/17-2/18.

Where: Nassau, Castaway Cay, and Port Orleans French Quarter (my favorite Moderate and one of my very favorite resorts!)

Who: You may already know me - Katie. I’m a Georgia Peach, WDW AP, and wife to my best friend and Disney adventure partner, Jason.

Joining me are my mom (we’ll call her...Mom), baby sister A, and sister-in-law M (married to my brother D). I couldn’t find a pic of all four of us together, so here are a few pics with a mix of us in them.

A, M, and I on Thanksgiving a couple years ago

A, Mom, and I at the Biltmore Estate this past summer...we’re definitely related

My brother D, M, J, and I on our way to MNSSHP 2018...J doesn’t do costumes

Mom and I in Central Park this past April

Fun fact: M and I are sorority sisters (for those of you who are familiarized with the whole sorority family tree thing...she is my Grand-Little). She and I met at a sorority event a couple years after I had graduated, when she was a freshman and my brother D was a sophomore. We figured out that she and D were in the same Lit class, and she said she was going to introduce herself to him the next class...3 years later, they got married. You’re welcome, D!

This will be my second Disney Cruise, Mom’s fourth, and M and A’s first. A was a baby when we went on our first Disney Cruise back in 2002, so she stayed with our grandparents.

 

[KellBelle]

I am probably wwwwaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy off, but that towel creature sort of looks like Jafar to me?

 

[k8einwdw]

I am probably wwwwaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy off, but that towel creature sort of looks like Jafar to me?

Maybe? I seriously can’t figure it out!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 15th- Nassau Day- Part Seven

When I left off, we had just had dinner at Royal Palace, and we came back to our room to some strange towel art. Now, it was time to head out for Pirate Night, and fireworks at sea!


We arrived about 15 minutes before the show was set to start, and we were able to get pretty good spots up on the deck above the pool. The first thing they do is the Pirates IN the Caribbean stage show, which was pretty cute. We noticed that some of the same actors from Beauty and the Beast were in this as well. One of the Pirates kept talking about the “Boombedy-Boom-Boom Fireworks,” which cracked A up. After the stage show, it was time for the fireworks!

The cruise fireworks obviously pale in comparison to the parks fireworks, but it is still so impressive that they can do this on a cruise ship. We also learned that the fireworks are edible for fish, so no waste! After the fireworks, they started a dance party. We left at that point, to go get the scoop on Vanellope’s (pun intended...you’ll see). This place is so super cute! Stuff here is for purchase at an additional cost, but prices were reasonable.

Everyone got a scoop of ice cream...you know, because we hadn’t eaten a huge dinner an hour ago...I don’t remember what flavors everyone else got, but I got Strawberry Shortcake flavor. A lot of the flavors looked really good!

After we finished our ice cream, we headed back down to the room to turn in for the night. We watched “A Goofy Movie” in bed (seriously under-appreciated movie!), and we were all asleep around 12:30. Overall, it had been a wonderfully relaxing day on the ship, and we were all glad we stayed onboard to enjoy the ship (and Palo brunch!) on our Nassau day.

Up next: Castaway Cay Day!!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th - Castaway Cay Day - Part One

We awoke to the ship vibrating around 7:30 am. Mom and I headed out to the veranda while M and A stayed in bed for a little longer. I got these photos from our veranda while we were nearing Castaway Cay.

Around 8:00, Mom, M, and I decided to head to Cabana’s for breakfast, while A slept. Mom said she would bring food back for A (youngest child = spoiled ). I honestly don’t remember what any of us had from Cabana’s, and I had left my phone in the room, so there’s no photo to help me out. I do remember having POG juice, because they have it on tap there! While we were there, we looked out the window and saw a rainbow - we could see both ends of it! Again, no photo evidence. We also ran into Hery (our assistant server), who works at Cabana’s during the day.

After we had eaten, Mom grabbed some food for A, while M and I went to the Cove Cafe for some coffees for everyone. Three of us got the Salted Caramel Coconut Latte , and we got A (who doesn’t like coconut) a caramel hazelnut mocha. We got characters on the foam again, another Donald and Olaf like the day prior, as well as a Goofy and a Baby Yoda! I didn’t get to grab pictures until we got back to the room, and the designs got a little messed up by the coffee stirrers.

We sipped our coffees while we all changed into our suits and cover-ups, and then it was time to head out to Castaway Cay!

Up next: We’re finally in Castaway Cay!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th - Castaway Cay Day- Part Two

Finally, it was time to experience Castaway Cay! It had been drizzling on and off that morning, and we waited until it stopped around 9:00 to head down to the first deck to get off the ship. Of course, the second we got off, it started sprinkling again. There were some character meets near the front of the island advertised in that days Navigator, and I really wanted to meet some characters in their Castaway Cay outfits, so I hung around the front of the island while the rest of the group headed to Serenity Bay (the adults-only beach area).

I hung around for 10 minutes or so and didn’t see any characters (I’m guessing because of the rain), so I decided to head back to Serenity Bay. There are shuttles that transport you throughout the island, but the main shuttle and the Serenity Bay shuttle are separate. I hopped off at the shuttle stop where you have to wait for the Serenity Bay shuttle, and saw the rest of the group on one of the main shuttles. Evidently they didn’t listen to the spiel that tells you that you have to transfer shuttles to get to Serenity Bay. So we all ended up being on the same shuttle, and got to the beach a little after 9:15.

Cool Donald plane you see on the old airstrip near Serenity Bay

There were very few people on the beach at this point, so we had our pick of loungers. We saw another rainbow!

We found our spots about halfway down the beach, and pulled our chairs out so that we could put our feet in the water. We sat for a while and Mom, M, and I read. A got a little bored, so she decided to walk out into the water. She spotted a huge stingray, so I went out there to see it. It was massive! It looked like its stinger had been clipped, so I’m wondering if it had escaped from the Stingray Adventure. The big dark spot you see in this pic is the stingray.

We also spotted a live starfish! None of us had ever seen a live one. The water at Castaway Cay is truly some of the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen. I kept running my hands through it, because I just couldn’t believe how beautiful it was!

Eventually we headed back to where our stuff was, and took some cute pictures.

Eventually we moved our chairs up away from the water, so we could sit and read some more under the shade umbrellas. At one point, a couple came and set their chairs directly in front of us...facing us. It was so bizarre. And they wouldn’t stop talking! I kept seeing a bartender walking by with drinks in souvenir cups, and I told myself I was going to get one, but I never did. I’m a sucker for Disney souvenir cups, so I’m kicking myself for not getting one. Around 11:45, it started sprinkling again, and although we were under the shade umbrellas, we were still getting a little wet, so M and I decided to leave the beach to go check out the shops on the island.

Up next: Shopping and lunch on the island!

 

[Swissmiss]

That water looks amazing!

 

[k8einwdw]

That water looks amazing!

It was seriously the bluest water I’d ever seen - it almost looked fake!

 

[k8einwdw]

I’ll admit, I have not felt like adding to my trip report over the last few days. This dang virus has me feeling some kind of way. J’s job is considered essential work, so he is still going in to work every day. I am working from home full-time until May 1st at least. I know I am so fortunate that I have the ability to work from home, but I haaaattteee it. I miss my friends at work. I miss Target. And I miss Disney. We just had to cancel our April 24-29 trip. I have a backup trip planned for May 15-20, but now it looks like we may need to book a backup to the backup. J and I avoid summer at Disney like the plague - too hot, and we prefer to go when kids are in school. But, we don’t want to have to wait until our September trip if we don’t have to. I have not been to WDW with J since the week after Labor Day. I know we are so, so fortunate to be APs and be able to go multiple times every year, when there are so many who never have the chance to go once. But it is just so, so sad to see your happy place boarded up with no end in sight. Basically what I’m saying is, I hate being stuck at home and I hate not knowing when we’ll be back at WDW, but I also feel bad for being so upset about these things when I know things could be so much worse.

 

[Swissmiss]

I’ll admit, I have not felt like adding to my trip report over the last few days. This dang virus has me feeling some kind of way. J’s job is considered essential work, so he is still going in to work every day. I am working from home full-time until May 1st at least. I know I am so fortunate that I have the ability to work from home, but I haaaattteee it. I miss my friends at work. I miss Target. And I miss Disney. We just had to cancel our April 24-29 trip. I have a backup trip planned for May 15-20, but now it looks like we may need to book a backup to the backup. J and I avoid summer at Disney like the plague - too hot, and we prefer to go when kids are in school. But, we don’t want to have to wait until our September trip if we don’t have to. I have not been to WDW with J since the week after Labor Day. I know we are so, so fortunate to be APs and be able to go multiple times every year, when there are so many who never have the chance to go once. But it is just so, so sad to see your happy place boarded up with no end in sight. Basically what I’m saying is, I hate being stuck at home and I hate not knowing when we’ll be back at WDW, but I also feel bad for being so upset about these things when I know things could be so much worse.

Yes, things could be worse, but we have all been forced into a situation that is not easy, so it’s ok to feel upset.

 

[Spash007]

I’ll admit, I have not felt like adding to my trip report over the last few days. This dang virus has me feeling some kind of way. J’s job is considered essential work, so he is still going in to work every day. I am working from home full-time until May 1st at least. I know I am so fortunate that I have the ability to work from home, but I haaaattteee it. I miss my friends at work. I miss Target. And I miss Disney. We just had to cancel our April 24-29 trip. I have a backup trip planned for May 15-20, but now it looks like we may need to book a backup to the backup. J and I avoid summer at Disney like the plague - too hot, and we prefer to go when kids are in school. But, we don’t want to have to wait until our September trip if we don’t have to. I have not been to WDW with J since the week after Labor Day. I know we are so, so fortunate to be APs and be able to go multiple times every year, when there are so many who never have the chance to go once. But it is just so, so sad to see your happy place boarded up with no end in sight. Basically what I’m saying is, I hate being stuck at home and I hate not knowing when we’ll be back at WDW, but I also feel bad for being so upset about these things when I know things could be so much worse.

I know how you feel. My wife is considered essential too, and while it's nice being home and not having to dress up every day, it gets old fast. And we have to (I just cant click the button yet) cancel our trip at the end of April. It can be worse, but I heard something the other day that said all of these things are life altering, and getting used to it is essentially like a period of mourning on it's own.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

I’ll admit, I have not felt like adding to my trip report over the last few days. This dang virus has me feeling some kind of way. J’s job is considered essential work, so he is still going in to work every day. I am working from home full-time until May 1st at least. I know I am so fortunate that I have the ability to work from home, but I haaaattteee it. I miss my friends at work. I miss Target. And I miss Disney. We just had to cancel our April 24-29 trip. I have a backup trip planned for May 15-20, but now it looks like we may need to book a backup to the backup. J and I avoid summer at Disney like the plague - too hot, and we prefer to go when kids are in school. But, we don’t want to have to wait until our September trip if we don’t have to. I have not been to WDW with J since the week after Labor Day. I know we are so, so fortunate to be APs and be able to go multiple times every year, when there are so many who never have the chance to go once. But it is just so, so sad to see your happy place boarded up with no end in sight. Basically what I’m saying is, I hate being stuck at home and I hate not knowing when we’ll be back at WDW, but I also feel bad for being so upset about these things when I know things could be so much worse.

Completely understand. I haven’t updated my report in over 2 weeks, it feels kind of weird to be looking back on such a happy time at the moment. We don’t have anything booked currently, but I really wish we did have because I need something to look forward to.

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th - Castaway Cay Day- Part Three

I’m baaaaack! Thank you to everyone who commiserated with me over missing Disney, it made me feel much better to know I’m not the only one who’s having a rough time right now.

J sure is lucky that his wife can sew and has a stash of Disney-inspired fabric!

In happier news, we painted our front door yesterday! It was a dingy dark green color, and I’ve been wanting to paint it mint green (my favorite color) for years. Being stuck at home has given us time to get some projects done around the house that we’ve been putting off for a long time!

And now, back to the trip report! When I last left off, we had been enjoying Serenity Bay for about 2.5 hours, when it started sprinkling on us. M and I packed up our stuff and decided to leave the beach to go check out the shops, and get some pics around the island. We boarded the shuttle to get back to the main part of the island, and it was quite a breezy ride. M’s hat blew off her head at one point, but thankfully she was able to grab it before it blew out onto the road.

We meandered around the shops for a little bit, but neither of us bought anything. Nothing really wowed us, but I do now wish that I had bought a pin. We did get to grab some pics of these cute painted rocks! I had seen many many pictures of these on Instagram, but Mom had never seen them. I was excited when we walked out of one of the shops, and they were right there!

We decided to head back to Serenity Bay to grab lunch, but stopped on the way to grab some soft serve. Today’s rotational flavor was strawberry, and we were both big fans! We boarded the shuttle back to Serenity Bay, and saw Mom and A at the shuttle stop when we arrived. They had already eaten lunch, and were going back to check out the shops themselves. M and I grabbed some lunch from the Serenity Bay buffet. I got some chicken, a rib, some steak (could only eat about half), potato salad, and tomato salad. M got steak, chicken, and a salad. We both agreed that the food here was excellent, and it was nice eating in a relaxed, adults-only area.

While we were eating, we noticed that some of the actors from the stage show were seated at a nearby table. I thought it was nice that they also got to enjoy the island. After we finished our lunch, we both grabbed another strawberry soft serve cone, and headed out to the shuttle stop to go meet Mom and A. And who would we run into at the shuttle stop, but....Mom and A. Our timing was impeccable this day! They were heading back to the beach, but M and I both agreed that we’d had our fill of the beach, and were ready to head back to the ship. We went our separate ways, and M and I stopped on the way back to grab some pics of the ship!

We got through security pretty quickly, and were back on the ship in no time. We were both glad that we got back on the ship around 1:30, because the line was much longer later in the day!

Up next: enjoying an empty ship!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th- Castaway Cay Day- Part Four

When I last left off, M and I were boarding the ship around 1:30. We headed up to the room to drop our beach bags off, and ran into Sigit, who was servicing the room. This is the second time this had happened, the poor guy was probably sick of us interrupting him! We quickly dropped off our stuff, and headed up to the pool deck. First stop - the AquaDuck! There was only a 10 minute wait - the lowest we’d seen it the whole trip! M and I both got a little nervous when we got closer and closer to it being our turn, but we psyched ourselves up to ride, and we weren’t going to turn back now! We were both glad we did it, because it was an absolute BLAST, but the water was freezing cold, so it was a one and done for us. After our trip down the AquaDuck, we headed up to Satellite Falls (the adults-only pool area). It was practically empty, so we had our pick of loungers! I hung out for about an hour before I headed back to the room to call J and shower and start packing. I took these pictures from our veranda- Castaway Cay is gorgeous, even on a cloudy day!

After hanging up with J, I hopped in the shower, and everyone was back in the room by the time I was out. We all started packing up at that point, since we would be leaving the next morning. At one point, Mom and A left to go watch “Frozen 2,” since they had not seen it in theaters. Once I was done packing and fixing my hair and makeup for the night, I headed down to the atrium level to meet some characters.I had only met Mickey and Daisy so far, and I was determined to get some more characters in, specifically Captain Minnie!

I was able to meet Captain Mickey first, who told me that Minnie was driving the ship at the moment.

After Mickey, I headed out to the outside area on Deck 4 to grab some sunset pics, and ear pics.

I had some time before the next character meet was scheduled to start, so I headed over to the shops to get in my last-minute souvenir shopping. Then, I headed over to meet my two favorite chipmunks! I love meeting these two, and they obviously love me!

After I met these two troublemakers, it was time for the show!

Up next: Does every stage show make me cry? Do I ever get to meet Captain Minnie? Stay tuned to find out!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th- Castaway Cay Day- Part Five

After meeting Chip and Dale, it was time for the final stage show of the trip - “Believe.” This is the signature show on the Dream and the Fantasy, and it tells the story of a father who is trying to reconnect with his daughter, and needs the help of some Disney characters to believe in magic again. It is a really sweet show, and the ballroom scene made me cry.

“Believe” was definitely more crowded than the other nights’ shows, but we were still able to get good seats by showing up about 20 minutes before showtime. We all really enjoyed all of the shows on our cruise, and I think we’d all say that “Beauty and the Beast” was our favorite of the three. After the show, we had some time to kill before dinner. Everyone headed up to the room to change into dresses for dinner, but I had one quick stop to make first...

I finally got to meet Captain Minnie! I told her that I loved her outfit, and she loved my ears! After this, I dashed up to the room to do a quick change before dinner. Tonight’s dining location was Animator’s Palate!

I had been looking forward to this dinner the whole trip! I had only ever been to Animator’s Palate on the Wonder, which is very different than the version on the newer ships (or at least it was back in 2002). I loved the theming in here, it reminded me of Art of Animation and the new theming in World of Disney. Although I will say...it seems like all of the Pixar movies were represented in the decor, but the only interactive character was Crush, which I thought was a little odd. It was kind of like a Diet Turtle Talk with Crush, where he floated around to different areas to interact with people. It was neat, but I think I actually prefer the theming on the older ships. Now, onto the food!

Tonight was the only night I thought to take pictures of the menu

I don’t remember exactly what the bread service was this night, but I do remember that it was our favorite! I started out with a Great Reef Cocktail, which was pretty good!

For apps, I got the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes, which were SOOOOO GOOD. I could have easily eaten a whole bowl of these and called it dinner. I believe Mom also got the mushroom pasta, A got the Baked Potato Soup, and M got the Tomato Tarte.

For mains, I got the Herb-Crusted Pork Chop, and everyone else got the Ginger-Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin. I thought about getting that one, but I had gotten beef the last two nights, and wanted to switch it up. We all liked our entrees.

For dessert, we all got the Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake, which was divine!

While we were waiting for our desserts to come out, Hery entertained us with another magic trick. While I do prefer the theming of Animator’s Palate on the older ships, I think this was probably my favorite rotational dining location of the trip!

Up next: our last night on the ship

 

[k8einwdw]

February 16th- Castaway Cay Day- Part Six

When I left off, we had just finished up dinner at Animators’ Palate. After dinner, we headed up to the room to change into casual clothes, and were met with another towel creature, and some chocolates!

Then, we did the totally logical thing, and headed to Vanellope’s for one last treat...you know, because we hadn’t just eaten dinner. Everyone else got ice cream, and I got this Mickey Oreo pop. I think I was expecting it to be like an Oreo truffle (crushed Oreos and cream cheese, mixed together and rolled into balls, and dipped in melting chocolate...you’re welcome). It was just a straight up Oreo dipped in chocolate, with a chocolate Mickey face on it. Not bad, just not what I was expecting.

I also grabbed a pic of this cute poster I had been admiring near Vanellope’s.

After our treats, the rest of the gang headed back to the room to finish packing, and I headed down to the atrium for the Sailing Away show. I took some more pictures of the beautiful atrium, including the detailing below everyone’s feet in the second picture - I had not noticed all of the characters until that moment!

For the show, they had all of the characters out meeting guests, and then they did a quick little song before waving goodbye to everyone. They also showed a slideshow of some pictures taken on the cruise.

It was a cute, brief show, and I enjoyed it. After the show, I headed up to the room to finish packing and get ready for bed. We all turned in early, since we knew we had an early morning ahead of us.

Up next: Disembarking and heading to WDW!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 17th - Disembarkation

There is only one photo from our last morning on the ship, so I’ll go ahead and get the cruise portion of the trip knocked out. We were briefly awakened by the ship sounding its horn at 5:45 am...I’m sure it was probably because they were pulling into port, but it was definitely unexpected at that hour. Thankfully it was brief, and we were able to sleep for another hour before getting up at 6:45 to get dressed, pack last-minute items, and do a sweep of the room to make sure we had gotten everything. Once we left the room, we headed down to Animators’ Palate for breakfast. The disembarkation breakfast is pretty simple, since they are trying to get everyone fed and out of there as quickly as possible. Here is my breakfast.

We ate pretty quickly, and said our goodbyes to Frank and Hery, and thanked them (and tipped them very well) for their excellent service. After that, it was time to get off the ship. We were getting off around 8:40, and we grabbed our luggage, and made it through Customs around 9:00. We loaded up the car, and set the GPS to Walt Disney World!

Up next: Final thoughts on the cruise.

 

[k8einwdw]

Final thoughts on the cruise...

Ship: I absolutely loved the Dream! It was beautiful, I loved the touches of Disney everywhere you looked, and it was very clean and well kept. We enjoyed what little time we spent in the pool area, and we appreciated that there were still some adults-only areas on a family-focused cruise line.

Stateroom: We enjoyed the stateroom, although it was definitely a tight squeeze for four adults, which was to be expected. I do wish that there were more outlets, but I understand why there are not. I loved the location of our room (Deck 8, Midship). The beds were all comfortable, and there was lots of functional storage, which we appreciated.

Food: We enjoyed all of the rotational dining, although I’ve certainly had better meals at WDW. The standout meal of the trip for us was definitely Palo Brunch. WHEN J and I do a Disney Cruise, I will 100000% be booking that again. We also enjoyed the Cove Cafe. It was so nice to be able to spend some quiet time in the adults-only area sipping our fancy coffee.

Castaway Cay: We absolutely loved Castaway Cay. Had it not been raining on and off, we definitely would have spent more time on the island. We loved the Serenity Bay Area, and the food on the island was surprisingly good.

Activities: We didn’t participate in a ton of activities, but we did enjoy the Animation class. There is definitely a ton of options to stay busy if that’s what you’re looking to do. I do wish we had made it to some of the craft classes and trivia games.

Service: Top. Notch. As expected. Our servers, Frank and Hery, were both fantastic. They were both attentive, gave great menu recommendations, and were so friendly and personable. I would absolutely request them again. Our server at a Palo was also awesome. Sigit, our stateroom host, was also great. Super friendly, and kept the room squeaky clean.

Overall, we had a fantastic time. 3 nights absolutely flew by, and it made me wish we had booked a longer cruise. I think I’ve finally talked J into doing one with me. We toyed around with the idea of doing an Alaskan Cruise for my 30th next summer, until we looked at the prices. Maybe for my 40th in 2031 lol. I’d love to do a double dip cruise with two stops at Castaway Cay, so maybe that will be our next one!

 

[k8einwdw]

February 17th - WDW Day - Part One

Happy belated Easter! I hope you were all able to make the best of the first major holiday stuck at home. I cooked a nice meal for J and I, and we spent the day just hanging around the house. It felt really weird not going to church or seeing family. Hopefully we’ll all be allowed out of our homes in time for Memorial Day! We had some bad storms in much of the Southeast last night, including Georgia. It was pretty scary here, but thankfully we didn’t sustain any damage. However, our power has been out for 15 hours and counting...

Aaaanyway, when I last left off, we were leaving Port Canaveral around 9:00 am, and we were headed to WDW! We pulled through the magical purple gates shortly after 10:00 am (and I forgot to take a picture ), and headed straight for POFQ. When we arrived, our room was not yet ready, which was not a surprise, so I made sure they had my contact info, and we went on with our day. We changed from shorts and t-shirts into dresses, and headed out to the dock to take a boat to Disney Springs.

We shopped around for a bit, hitting up mainly the Marketplace and Town Center areas. I took some pics of some stuff I liked:

I loved this little Christmas decoration. Our main tree and “mantle” (it’s a shelf above the tv, we don’t have a fireplace) are both rustic-y themed at Christmas, with lots of buffalo plaid, so this would match our decor perfectly!

Max needs this shirt to match the one I have!

We stopped into Once Upon a Toy so that I could get one of these cute Wishables, and I got Spaceship Earth!

At some point, M and I both decided we NEEDED water, so we separated from the group to grab some bottled water, and I grabbed a pic of this Millennium Falcon popcorn bucket for J. He had been eyeing it since it first came out. I was surprised at how massive it was! I can imagine this thing would be a pain to clean out after eating popcorn out of it!

After M and I had gotten our waters, we went to meet back up with Mom and A. They had said they would meet us in World of Disney. I should have told them to go to a smaller store first, because World of Disney is a pretty dang big and busy store to try to find someone in. We looked for a few minutes, while I tried calling and texting Mom and A to get a better idea of exactly where they were. When I finally heard back from A, she said that they were outside. When we met up with them, Mom said that they had gone in, and walked right out because it was too crowded. So, I didn’t get to shop at World of Disney this trip. I know that store is always crowded, but it just doesn’t feel like a Disney trip without spending some time (and money) in there! Oh well, there’s always our April trip...wait...never mind.

After World of Disney, we headed over to Basin (where I SHOULD have told Mom and A to meet us). I had bragged to the group about this store - I love it, and thankfully they did too! Everyone bought something, but me. I did grab a pic of these body butters. The scent is called “Wishes.” Make a wish, and do as dreamers dooooo...

We popped over to the Joffrey’s shop so that I could get some coffee. We drink Joffrey’s every morning, and I like to stock up on it while we’re in WDW since we can use our AP discount, and we don’t have to pay for shipping! This time, I got a bag of the Victoria & Albert’s blend, and a bag of the Aulani blend. I thought we might enjoy the Aulani blend since we love the Kona blend, and it turns out I was right!

I love this wall:

We also went into the Vera Bradley store, where I inquired about whether they honored the AP discount. They do offer a discount to APs (although if memory serves me correctly, it was not 20%), HOWEVER, it wasn’t applicable to the Disney prints. I had my eye set on a crossbody mini backpack, but I didn’t want to pay full price for it. We checked out a few more stores in the Town Center area, including Ever After Jewelry, where I was hoping they’d have my Vera Bradley bag. No VB bag, but I did see these cute new Dooney bags.

We shopped until about 12:45, when we all decided that we were ready to leave. It was unseasonably warm for February, and we had a dining reservation to catch!

Up next: Tea for Four

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Love that Fantasia Dooney, I didn’t see that in January so it must be pretty new. I really wanted to like the Aristocats bag, because I love the movie, but it’s just a bit too busy for me.

 

[k8einwdw]

Love that Fantasia Dooney, I didn’t see that in January so it must be pretty new. I really wanted to like the Aristocats bag, because I love the movie, but it’s just a bit too busy for me.

I want to say they were both pretty new, I hadn't seen either of them before, online or in person. I never buy the Dooney bags (although I have one that I purchased for 40% off when we visited with a CM friend, and one that J gave me as a Christmas gift a few years ago), but I love admiring them!