Trip Report **Completed** Last Minute Cruise - Disney Wish February 2025

Seriously, this trip was incredibly last minute. We had been throwing around the possibility of taking a cruise since the December 2024 trip and we had cancelled several prior to that. Disney released great deals on select cruises so it was becoming more of a reality. However, the husband kept dragging his feet and only made a decision a week or two before the cruise departure date AFTER the sale had ended on the cruises we were watching so he ended up paying more than necessary. Which meant plane tickets were expensive for those still available. And that meant a road trip from Virginia would be required. This was my first ever cruise and only his second (and he hardly remembered the first one when he was a teenager lol).

Who: Me and the husband, R
Why: He said it was for his birthday and was discouraged with our home search
When: Road trip started Feb 1st, Cruise started Feb 3, and a road trip back home
What: Besides the cruise, we had absolutely no idea what we were going to be doing or staying (major anxiety from me ensued)
Where: Disney Wish, All Star Music, and various places along I-95

I'm still having issues with my technology (must get a new computer!) but it's doing better than it was in December. And with no surprise trips planned, I should be able to finish this one much more quickly. I promise I'll try

 

[LeighM]

Saw this on the way to the bus line. We never did go there.

The line moved really fast and they took our picture. Later in the day, I checked the pictures and they had turned out really well but I wasn't about to spend $35 for it.

We got seats in the front of the bus so had a good view of everything. This is the Vehicle Assembly Building. He said it was so large a bus could drive between the red and white stripes.

You can kinda see it through the fog. We immediately enter a building and wait for in a theater for a quick movie. And it was this point that I wished I had brought my jacket with me because it was beyond frigid in this building. After the movie, we exited to the section that held the pieces.

And it was HUGE!!!

This was my poor attempt at trying to get it all in one frame.

And it was here we had our first major encounter with the school groups. OMG. We went outside to the viewing area to warm up and let the kids leave.

We went back inside to see the rest of the displays.

 

[LeighM]

I'm glad we waited until the big groups left because their yelling would've taken away from the impact of this section.

I grew up hearing the stories about this and hearing my family talk about it. So seeing this caused me to get a little emotional.

It was deeply touching. We continued to the other exhibit and walked by this. And it was extremely clear that I never had a future as an astronaut with my worsening claustrophobia!

On the way out, I stopped to say hello to Snoopy.

We got in line for the bus back to the main section.

 

[LeighM]

After the bus, we decided to go to the Atlantis building.

There were a few more movies to get through but luckily they weren't as cold.

It was impossible to get an angle that captured everything so I just gave up trying.

And then I got it

I really enjoyed this exhibit.

 

[LeighM]

Then we walked towards this section and the waterworks began again.

I didn't get many pictures of the Columbia exhibit and R had no memory of this happening in 2003 but I did. He didn't follow the news or anything at the beginning of our relationship but my family taught me the importance of always staying informed of current events from legitmate news sources. Which Grandma didn't always follow herself because I caught her reading the National Enquirer often while waiting in the grocery store line when I was little

We left and made our way towards the Gateway building to get lunch from there. The restaurant that had burgers, etc was packed with the field trip kids so we went to the one with the more adult menu. Only to be met with a line halfway through the building and no place to sit.

R was getting hangry because we skipped breakfast so he decided he was done with the crowds and rude kids so we left to go get lunch. On the way out, we wanted to see this exhibit but it was closed.

We left shortly after noon and got fast food somewhere. We had no plans and we had to be home by Sunday. We decided to drive to Savannah and spend the night there.

 

[LeighM]

We made pretty good time. I did research on good hotels to stay in the area around 95 and I picked a new Drury. I didn't like the location but the room was great.

They had free dinner but we had just missed it. But there was a Cracker Barrel right down the street and what's a road trip without one stop at a Cracker Barrel. We got here around 6pm on a Friday night and it was mostly empty. We hoped it didn't have bad reviews because we were not about to leave to find some place else!

It was typical and it didn't make us sick later so it was all good. The TV was personalized with my name on the screen so that was a nice updated tech touch. We were exhausted but discussed the option of a bus tour around Savannah the next day. Decided to play it by ear.

 

[LeighM]

Saturday - Savannah, GA

We slept later than intended and made our way to the parking garage suggested to us by the front desk. It was in a great location and reasonably priced.

We stopped by that welcome kiosk to pick up a map. We decided to just walk around the town since we didn't know how long we wanted to stay in the area. We went to a couple of neat antique stores. Walked down to the waterfront using this historic and dangerous stairs.

We walked past so many pubs. And water fountains.

Close up of one of the statues

And then this was another favorite

It was busy for a Saturday morning. And the smell of marijuana was very prevalent in several spots, which was a major disappointment to me. And the homeless population was quite substantial compared to my last visit here as child on a family vacation (on the way to St. Augustine). We had discussed stopping at St. Augustine after Port Canaveral and I'm not really sure why they didn't actually happen.

 

[LeighM]

It was humid this morning so we had to pop into a CVS to each get a bottled Body Armour. Walked into a store online to be met by a man already drunk and/or high as a kite wanting to talk about something that made no sense. So we got out of there in a hurry and walked to Forsyth Park to see the fountain.

And I have never seen so many church people on every block wanting to talk about the Bible. I wish I had actually paid more attention to their signs but it was beyond excessive. They were legit everywhere we walked to in downtown Savannah. I guess they don't like pot either

Savannah was just as pretty as I remembered her to be. Finally made it to the Park and they were having an artist market so there were a lot of people in the area. They had a lot of nice products too, regret not getting a couple of items but we didn't have much cash on us.

R was getting hungry and he was wanting to eat at The Lady and Sons.

 

[LeighM]

I grew up in the South and eating the food my grandma grew and prepared so I knew it wasn't going to knock my socks off or anything. We both experienced land sickness here because our bodies thought we were still on the ship. I had to grab the table top to keep myself balanced.

We didn't have a long wait and was seated on the second floor where the crowds were less and the AC was better!

I remember when home cooking kind of restaurants were the cheapest places you could eat at. But, much like BBQ, it's a "thing" now and the prices reflect it. Much like Art Smith's Homecomin'. Ridiculous.

The biscuits were good. Real good. I almost wished I could have one but I had to go easy on the gluten bc of the side I ordered.

R had the fried chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.

I had the pulled BBQ, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. And I had to finish the broccoli casserole since R had gotten full.

It was all very good. Not the best fried chicken we've had but far from the worst. It's just hard to stomach paying those prices for food that I can fix at home that's just as good. But it was something that was checked off R's must do box and I'm glad that we did it. Because we were so close to the parkign garage we just decided to head out and start making our way home. Where we got lost trying to make our way out of the garage LOL. We finally found the exit.

For some reason, the GPS didn't send us back the way we came and I really needed to use a restroom after all that water I had put down at lunch. We kept waiting for a sign to direct us back to 95 and the visitor center/rest stop. We had to stop at a gas station. We got to 95 and was feeling really confused because we never saw a welcome to SC sign. When we got to the next rest stop we looked at a map and saw we were almost half way through the state He was feeling really good and didn't think he wanted to go to Charleston which was another option we had been discussing. We got to Florence, SC to stop at the same Buccees. On the way out, we stopped by the ABC store right next door and he ended up buying a bottle of Weller, which he was super excited about! So happy and feeling good that he decided that he wanted to drive back home. So that's what we did.

We made good time and I think we made it home around 10PM. From walking around Savannah until after 1PM to getting home at 10PM. We went to a McDonald's drive thru close to our house and called it a night.

 

[LeighM]

These are the towel animals we had

These were the found ducks

And once I got home, I had major regret about not buying a specific set of Minnie ears and I didn't like eBay prices. But a personal shopper in a FB group posted some for sale not much higher than I could've purchased myself on the ship, so I ordered them. They are now hanging on the wall in my closet with the others.

I'm now trying to finalize a long weekend trip to WDW in May for the Flower and Garden Festival after R finishes up his class and before his busy audit season picks up this summer. I had it all finalized but then JetBlue struck again and cancelled my flights and booked us on new ones with horrible times. Instead of leaving early Saturday morning and 6AM on Tuesday morning so that he would only miss one day of work, we are now having to leave Friday afternoon and return Tuesday afternoon so he's missing 2.5 days of work much to my annoyance. I was able to change the dates on my hotel reservation but it's refusing to let me change hotels because of an issue with their system. Shocking. So I'm waiting on that before I update the info for Mears. We have also started our home search again and it's been one disappointment after another. But I'm staying distracted trying to plan this quick trip in May and doing research for our next cruise. Right now I'm thinking the Treasure in 2026 with the placeholder because the prices are so high. But we can take a last minute 5 night on the Fantasy if a good deal pops up between now and then. I really want to see Lookout Point. So we'll see.

 

[Tiggerish]

I'm curious about trying an excursion next time away from the port area to see what else Nassau has to offer before fully making up my mind about no more Nassau. But I cannot suggest staying in the port area and shops for those that are overwhelmed by people and noise, if the dock is full of ships. I didn't realize how tense I actually was until I got back to our room.

Not to discourage you, but I'm with @Piglet_the_brave when it comes.to skipping Nassau. I was.there on spring break in college, not on a cruise but an air travel package holiday with five other girlfriends, and two of us were mugged (purse-snatched). Lived in NYC, the mugging capital.of the world.in the 1980s, and never had it happen here, so.it just soured me on Nassau, and in all.my DCL.cruises, I've never disembarked in Nassau.

I'm.sure that a DCL.or other cruise line sponsored excursion would be safe.

 

[Tiggerish]

Then we walked towards this section and the waterworks began again.

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I didn't get many pictures of the Columbia exhibit and R had no memory of this happening in 2003 but I did. He didn't follow the news or anything at the beginning of our relationship but my family taught me the importance of always staying informed of current events from legitmate news sources. Which Grandma didn't always follow herself because I caught her reading the National Enquirer often while waiting in the grocery store line when I was little

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We left and made our way towards the Gateway building to get lunch from there. The restaurant that had burgers, etc was packed with the field trip kids so we went to the one with the more adult menu. Only to be met with a line halfway through the building and no place to sit.

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R was getting hangry because we skipped breakfast so he decided he was done with the crowds and rude kids so we left to go get lunch. On the way out, we wanted to see this exhibit but it was closed.

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We left shortly after noon and got fast food somewhere. We had no plans and we had to be home by Sunday. We decided to drive to Savannah and spend the night there.

Thank you for sharing your visit to KSC. So many exciting and then very moving exhibits. Sadly, I witnessed (on tv) both the Challenger and Columbia disasters.
Tagging @nickys because I know that she is also a fan of NASA and will appreciate your photos.

 

[Swissmiss]

Thank you for sharing your visit to KSC. So many exciting and then very moving exhibits. Sadly, I witnessed (on tv) both the Challenger and Columbia disasters.
Tagging @nickys because I know that she is also a fan of NASA and will appreciate your photos.

I too enjoyed the KSC pictures (as well as Savannah). My daughter and I have been to both on previous trips and will be going back to KSC this summer with friends.

And while I am definitely not a cruise person, I loved all your pictures, so thanks!

 

[MinnieM123]

Thank you for sharing your visit to KSC. So many exciting and then very moving exhibits. Sadly, I witnessed (on tv) both the Challenger and Columbia disasters.
Tagging @nickys because I know that she is also a fan of NASA and will appreciate your photos.

I too enjoyed the KSC pictures (as well as Savannah). My daughter and I have been to both on previous trips and will be going back to KSC this summer with friends.

And while I am definitely not a cruise person, I loved all your pictures, so thanks!

@LeighM -- awesome TR! And, as noted by those above, the KSC side trip was great! Many years ago, I went there with my mother (last trip before she passed away). Now, there is so much new to see at KSC. Happy that you were able to experience and enjoy everything there. Loved the photos you took as well.

 

[cgersic]

What a fabulous trip and trip report!! I'm a one and done cruiser, but I sure enjoy reading and seeing all of the Disney ships in y'alls trip reports. Another lover of Kennedy Space Center here. It's been quite a few years since I've been there, but it's always cool to see the changes that have happened since the last trips. Can't wait to see what the next trip brings and thank you for sharing this one.

 

[rshell68]

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us!! Good luck on the restarted house search!!

 

[LeighM]

Not to discourage you, but I'm with @Piglet_the_brave when it comes.to skipping Nassau. I was.there on spring break in college, not on a cruise but an air travel package holiday with five other girlfriends, and two of us were mugged (purse-snatched). Lived in NYC, the mugging capital.of the world.in the 1980s, and never had it happen here, so.it just soured me on Nassau, and in all.my DCL.cruises, I've never disembarked in Nassau.

I'm.sure that a DCL.or other cruise line sponsored excursion would be safe.

The main DCL excursion I would be interested in is the chocolate making factory. And I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of the historic sites near the port. But you can bet that I kept my little purse crossbody in front of me with my hands holding it. And I kept an eye on R's pockets in some of those crowded areas, as well. He's very trusting and never really pays attention to his surroundings and I feel like I have to be on guard for both of us LOL. It's hilarious because he grew up in a rougher area than I did (I grew up in the country) but apparently I come from suspicious and paranoid stock because I was taught to trust nobody The things my family taught are actually hilarious looking back on it.

Thank you for sharing your visit to KSC. So many exciting and then very moving exhibits. Sadly, I witnessed (on tv) both the Challenger and Columbia disasters.
Tagging @nickys because I know that she is also a fan of NASA and will appreciate your photos.

I have vague memories of the Challenger explosion but I was 5 years old and memories are hazy. I remember more my family's reaction to it than anything. But I clearly remember Columbia happening when I was in college. This exhibit was very emotional and I was not expecting it to hit quite as hard as it did.

I too enjoyed the KSC pictures (as well as Savannah). My daughter and I have been to both on previous trips and will be going back to KSC this summer with friends.

And while I am definitely not a cruise person, I loved all your pictures, so thanks!

R mentioned wanting to go back during another road trip in the future to see all that we missed but we will make sure it doesn't happen on a Friday LOL.

@LeighM -- awesome TR! And, as noted by those above, the KSC side trip was great! Many years ago, I went there with my mother (last trip before she passed away). Now, there is so much new to see at KSC. Happy that you were able to experience and enjoy everything there. Loved the photos you took as well.

We didn't even come close to seeing everything, unfortunately. The school field trips really impacted the trip so we will go back again one day when it's not Field Trip Friday

What a fabulous trip and trip report!! I'm a one and done cruiser, but I sure enjoy reading and seeing all of the Disney ships in y'alls trip reports. Another lover of Kennedy Space Center here. It's been quite a few years since I've been there, but it's always cool to see the changes that have happened since the last trips. Can't wait to see what the next trip brings and thank you for sharing this one.

R wants to try another cruise line but I think I might just be a Disney cruiser I wouldnt mind trying Celebrity once on one of their newer ships. Or if we ever win the lotto, try Viking Ocean or Regent Cruises for true adult only luxury. But, for now, there's more Disney ships to try.

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us!! Good luck on the restarted house search!!

The market is still very discouraging. There's a home listed down the street from us and it's been on the market longer than the last few years average. We're watching it closely. We live in a high military area so people will be moving for transfers but we're in VA and a lot of people have lost jobs due to federal cuts, etc and no one really knows what the effects will be to the housing market and when it will start to show in the listings. Some kind of major hurdle always pops up every time we try to find a new house. But we're going to try.

 

[mpaulam]

Thanks for sharing! Great pictures. We stayed in Cocoa Beach and visited KSC in 2021 (I think) and they didn’t have the bus part of the tour open due to covid, but we really enjoyed the rest!

 

[LeighM]

Thanks for sharing! Great pictures. We stayed in Cocoa Beach and visited KSC in 2021 (I think) and they didn’t have the bus part of the tour open due to covid, but we really enjoyed the rest!

The bus tour to the other building was actually my favorite thing. And we had a really good bus driver that shared a lot of interesting facts. I wish it hadn't been so foggy so that we could've seen the full size of that building though We will probably do another road trip within the next year or two unless we become house poor and we can't go anywhere LOL.

 

[Tiki Traveler]

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Are those Redd the Pirate mouse ears? Haven’t seen those before. Perfect for Pirate Night!

Glad you had such a great trip! Thanks for sharing!

 

[LeighM]

Are those Redd the Pirate mouse ears? Haven’t seen those before. Perfect for Pirate Night!

Glad you had such a great trip! Thanks for sharing!

No, I got these from a seller on Etsy who makes very good Minnie ears! I have a few made by her. I'm not sure if I can share the name of her shop here but if you're interested you can message me and I'll let you know the name.