Trip Report Disney Land & Sea is the place to be! *COMPLETED*

Walt Disney World. Check.
Rental Car. Check.
Hotel stay in Miami. Check.
Disney Cruise Line. Check.

Fasten your seatbelts because you're in for a two week journey through a quintessential Disneymoon for two 25-year olds who eat a lot, hardly sleep, never grow up, and simply love everything-Disney.

Pre-trip Report
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/adventure-is-out-there.901086/

The Cast
My husband J, and I (and our baby Pook-a-loozs Goofy & Pluto)

Travel Dates
Walt Disney World: September 22nd - September 29th staying at Pop Century
Disney Cruise Line: September 20th - October 4th aboard the Disney Magic

Let the memories begin...

Thanks to an early flight and speedy Magical Express, we were checked in at Pop and ready to go before 10 AM. And I finally got a Happily Ever Pin! My heart (and collection) was happy.

While on the bus, I kept asking J, "are we really here?" After so many trips, the feeling is always still so surreal! But when we were greeted by this sight, it began to sink in.

It all started...at the place where it all started. The Magic Kingdom.

This was our bonus day - a day to just soak in the sights and savor the feels...not that we don't do that every day...I just wanted an extra day at Disney okay!?

It was a beautiful, sunny morning, Main Street U.S.A. was decked out in fall decoration, and we strolled down hand-in-hand wearing our Bride & Groom ears, starting our Disneymoon off the way we wanted! How lucky and blessed I felt...

OH MY GOSH...so if didn't know this about me, now you do. I LOVE FOUNTAINS. Seriously have some inexplicable fascination to them, and amidst all the construction and wondering if the hub construction would be finishing up by the time we arrived, I actually forgot that new fountains would be arriving to the World. And I LOVE THEM.

Hello, beautiful! We spent a lot of time taking pictures in front of the castle with our ears on. So glad we did - they are the favorites of the trip!

First ride of Disney World 2015 was the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, aka Blue Ride.

This is really one of our favorites. It was so nice to just relax while getting small glimpses of all the fun that was waiting for us, from Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, to Mickey's Star Traders.

Our first FP was for Space Mountain, my true favorite ride because let's be honest, I need thrills. I feel like a child when I go on this ride because the moment I walk inside the queue, I take off and like an impatient kid, I tell J, "Come on! Hurry up! Let's gooo!"

We enjoyed a leisurely walk from Tomorrowland to New Fantasyland where we made a stop by Big Top Treats (new fave store) and Journey of the Little Mermaid. The queue is definitely the highlight of this ride.

It was about noontime, and we hadn't eaten since 4 AM, you can bet we were hungry and ready for some food. To Be Our Guest we go!

 

[lunchbox1175]

Hope there is more to come.....this is getting me thru the work day!

 

[belledream]

Hope there is more to come.....this is getting me thru the work day!

We still have 1/2 of a day at WDW. That'll be coming soon! Then, THE CRUISE. Stay tuned and hang in there!

 

[lunchbox1175]

I'm super interested in the cruise as I am doing cruise then parks during thanksgiving!

 

[belledream]

I'm super interested in the cruise as I am doing cruise then parks during thanksgiving!

Ooh that's coming up real soon! How exciting! It was definitely a great combo. It's gonna feel so weird when I go to WDW from now on and don't have a cruise tacked on to my plans!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

That ice cream sandwich looks AWESOME!!! omg.. now I want it!

Can't wait to move on and hear about the cruise!!!

 

[belledream]

This good thing just won't come to an end! In fact, we're not even done with Part I. Today was our half day in the Disney bubble before heading down to Miami in preparation for Part II: 'Sea' from Land & Sea. Instead of spending a few hours at the parks, we planned for some non-park activities that we will now recap in typical fashion.

We were all packed, said goodbye to our trusty room at Pop, and walked outside to...rain?! Since when does it rain in the morning? It was more of a steady drizzle, but it wasn't a good sign for the plans we had today. Oh well, roll with the punches. We grabbed a taxi to Swan & Dolphin. First stop was Dolphin to drop off our luggage where we would eventually grab our rental car. The kind people at the desk offered us a complimentary umbrella for our morning adventures. It was one of those really big, cool ones too. We're such losers, we got so excited about it.

We've visited here twice before and I do appreciate how these two resorts are like a breath of fresh air. The lobby makes you feel like you're in some big tent, and the sounds of the fountain echo everywhere. It's pretty cool.

We headed outside and the drizzle hadn't let up. But since when have we let that stop us?

And just like that, we're back. It promised to be a relaxing and chill morning. We just walked together, fighting to control the umbrella. Pretty much learned that J does not know how to use an umbrella, which he chalks up to 'real men don't use umbrellas.'

Pretty magnificent view. Really appreciating the colors and that lawn.

We're back, Boardwalk! People wake up late around here.

We stopped inside Thimbles & Threads for some morning shopping.

It looked like a gloomy day, but it was actually really pretty, and we enjoyed our quiet morning...hadn't really had one of those yet!

Of course, we're still going to resort hop at the Boardwalk whilst on the Boardwalk. I love this lighting fixture so much. In fact, I love all of Boardwalk and would totally stay here if Yacht & Beach Club didn't hold so much of my heart.

The lobby is actually like a hybrid of Y&B to me, which you would think makes me love it more than the two. But...I just...cannot!

Where do you even find furniture like this? Details like this make my heart soar.

 

[bee]

It was one of those really big, cool ones too. We're such losers, we got so excited about it.

Nothing nerdy about being excited for an umbrella!! Or at least, if it's nerdy then I'm a giant nerd too because I would have loved it!

 

[belledream]

While it seemed like the world was just waking up, we were ready to stuff our face with none other than a cupcake. Helloooo breakfast!

We sat under an awning shielding ourselves from the drizzle, staring out at Crescent Lake, sharing this beauty, and wondering what we should do next.

We ended up popping into Wyland Galleries where I ogled over all the Disney paintings I wish I could have in my house! These are the types of nonpark early morning activities I just savor.

We emerged to find that the drizzle was dying down. So what does that mean? We're going for the minigolf fun!!!

We cut through Swan to get there. It feels lot more intimate and quiet than Dolphin. And just as pretty. Not sure which I prefer...probably Dolphin still. I'm a lively person!

We've been to Fantasia Gardens before, and just recently checked out Winter Summerland last year. They both have charm in their own ways. I think Fantasia Gardens course is more innovative and challenging, and Winter Summerland's theme speaks more to me. I mean, it's Christmas and you're golfing on snow! Either way, we were ready for some solid, competitive fun!

Yes, you go inside that cave. And yes, something scary freaked me out in there.

There was no one around, which was good because we could take our time and struggle with the course with no shame.

While not photographing J's struggle, I like to photograph what's around me.

Love the look of this one. Also wondering what goes on in those 'tents' behind it. It looked vacant...

I remembered loving the novelty of this hole last time. A water element to spice things up! How interesting.

See the broomstick in the back right? Yeah, be careful if you walk under there. They'll dump water on you!

I ended up beating J by about 5 points or so. VICTORY IS FINALLY MINE.

 

[belledream]

Nothing nerdy about being excited for an umbrella!! Or at least, if it's nerdy then I'm a giant nerd too because I would have loved it!

Unite!

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

I'm excited to try Fantasia next trip. We did Winter Summerland last time and it was great. It was the perfect difficulty level since my 5 year old was still able to do it.

 

[belledream]

I'm excited to try Fantasia next trip. We did Winter Summerland last time and it was great. It was the perfect difficulty level since my 5 year old was still able to do it.

They're both lots of fun! I usually don't find regular minigolf appealing at all, but when at Disney...

 

[belledream]

Just as we finished minigolf, the rain started again. Phew! Talk about good luck. And it was over the bridge again, as we went back to the Boardwalk to wrap up our Disneytime with shopping and lunch! We popped into Seashore Sweets to see what kind of sweet treat we could pick up for the roadtrip. We did make a purchase.

No, it wasn't ice cream that we got, but is that a Hidden Mickey we see?

After that, we walked around the Boardwalk some more, took some jumping pictures with our umbrella pretending to be Mary Poppins and Bert (lol), and it started to dawn on me that our WDW time was coming to a real end.

But I was distracted because finally, Boardwalk Bakery had changed over from breakfast to lunch, and we were excited to see what we would get.

YESSS, they had the Lobster Roll. Wasn't sure if they would, as it seemed to keep disappearing and reappearing on the menu. I let J have it, but he had to share with me anyways. It was light and fresh!

I got the Meatball Sub which was much more appetizing than it looks. The meatballs seemed like real meatballs with some kind of vegetable in there. I destroyed this bad boy.

But let's be honest, we came for the desserts. J's Mickey Oreo Cupcake was simply adorable and the boy had chocolate alllll over his face.

I got the Fruit Tart which is seriously one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I didn't want to eat it! The colors, the glaze, the little macaron on top! Of course, I did eat it and the outer shell was light and flaky, but held together by the delicious custard on the inside. I am in love with this little thing.

Not pictured are the potato soups that we both got with our sandwiches. They were really good and as we sat under the same awning, hiding from the rain and enjoy the mystical look of Crescent Lake, the soups really gave us a warm feel amidst the rain. Oh and hi ducks!

It's finally time. We cleaned up the huge mess we made while eating our BOMB lunch, and slowly but surely, walked out of the Boardwalk and back towards Swan & Dolphin, where we picked up our luggage and car, returned our umbrella, and got comfy and set for the road. Because for the next four hours, we would be driving in rain, then sunshine, then impending clouds of doom, then sunshine again! Oh and our Seashore Sweets purchase for the road?

Snacked on these as we drove, played Disney songs, and savored the feeling of the wonderful 7.5 days we just had at Walt Disney World, wondering how our couple hours in Miami would go, and wondering what adventures Disney Cruise Line would have in store for us as we began Part II of our Disneymoon!

 

[belledream]

|| INTERMISSION ||
We arrived at Miami in about 3.5 hours, which was shorter than we anticipated. And that was good since we were trying to beat the rain and we had a few blocks walk from the car drop-off to our hotel. My iPhone was telling me that it was going to 100% rain down on us at our expected arrival time and I was not going to enjoy getting all my stuff soaked in a place I had very little idea on how to get around. Good thing J is a navigational wizard because I am not! Except at Disney. So we arrived at the Holiday Inn Downtown and checked in, and another guest at the desk asked us if we were sailing on the Disney Magic tomorrow (however did he guess!) and that he was too. This helped me feel reassured about my hotel choice. I tend to be very wary and skeptical of any...non-Disney hotel.

Our room was nothing special, but honestly not that bad. Clean, on a higher floor, and right across the street was Bayside Marketplace which according to our internet planning, would be the extent of our Miami fun.

With that, we dropped our stuff off and headed outside with the intent of visiting American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat. We're huge NBA fans so why would we not stop by? It was right down the street. But then, the rain came right on time and it was pouring cats and dogs. So we switched it up and ran to Bayside Marketplace for shelter. It's a weird place. I thought it would be very touristy but it was like entering a shady strip mall that was then connected to an indoor-then-outdoor-then-indoor-again regular mall. Great design for this rainy day! Anyways, clearly I did not take any pictures due to the rain + uhh-what's-going-on combo. However, there was a Disney store! We popped in where I got my first glimpse of this year's sketchbook ornaments! All felt right in the world again.

The rain would not stop, so we ran through the mall again, getting sporadically wet, and ended up eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Filled with wet tourists. Perfect. I had this spicy jambalaya which helped me dry off mentally, and J had a shrimp po' boy. We both kept saying, "I MISS DISNEY WORLD!" Deep breaths. We would be back in the Disney magic (hah!) soon.

We ate slowly, waiting for the rain to stop, and when it did, we walked down the street to AAA. We couldn't get in so we settled with pressing our faces to the glass doors and looking inside. But outside looked pretty nice too. I recognized all the buildings they use for the TV shots. We walked around the building...perhaps hoping to see a familiar face hah...but it was not meant to be!

Regardless, it was nice to explore and see new things. But we were ready to head back to the hotel, take a thorough shower, and get in bed so J could watch TV and I could start looking through our Disney pictures. Fell asleep dreaming of new adventures to be had!

 

[Mindy16]

I'm just loving this report!! So many details and photos, it's awesome!!

Can't wait to hear about the "sea" part of your trip!

 

[belledream]

I'm just loving this report!! So many details and photos, it's awesome!!

Can't wait to hear about the "sea" part of your trip!

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying! I take like 500 photos a day so there is hardly ever a shortage. Can't wait to start the "sea" portion either!

 

[belledream]

Wake up, wake up! It's finally here! We're settin' sail on the Disney Magic for 4 glorious nights. Along the way, we hoped to see some beautiful sunrises, sunsets, eat lots of food, and set foot on new destinations. So off we go!

Welcome to the Port of Miami. It's not anywhere as awesome as Port Canaveral's, but it'll do. And hey, this time around we were officially Silver Castaway Club members, so we got to go into our special little line, and received an extra surprise at check-in! Yay for lanyard!

And look who walked by! We would soon be up there!

As we waited in the terminal for our boarding number, we got a sneak peek at today's Personal Navigator. For those who may be unfamiliar with what that is, it's essentially your Times Guide at the parks. It spans from sunrise to the wee hours of the night with activities and their locations for families, adults, tweens, teens, etc. They're always fun to look at and see what could possibly be in store for you today!

When our boarding number was called, we stepped onto an escalator and went through the walkway following Mickey's footsteps, and saw the ship...EXCITEMENT!

Our first step into the ship felt like royalty. They announced our name as we were greeted by the sight of the grand Atrium.

Many more (and better) pictures to come later.

Our first stop?

Cabanas! The buffet of course. We were starving so we eagerly loaded up our plates and grabbed a table with an amazing view.

Hello Miami! Sorry we couldn't spend more time with you, but we got places to be!

As for the food, it was great for buffet food. And yes, I get that good ol' buffet mac' n cheese. It's SO GOOD...what do they put in that stuff?!

Happiness.

 

[belledream]

With the first meal of what would be a veryyyy food-filled journey down, we stepped outside to abundant sunshine, fluffy clouds, and picturesque blue-green water.

We began our stroll through the deck and immediately were greeted by the AquaLab.

If only I was allowed to play here! I would seriously have as much fun as the next kid.

Alas, I would have to settle for the bigger kid area. Is that the AquaDunk!?

This baby...the moment we saw it, we rushed to the nearest bathroom to change into our bathing suits and we were on!

It is scary. Not gonna lie. I seek out thrills and I was nervous as heck once I got up there. But let's start from the beginning. Steps. Lots of steps. Then there's this capsule that you step into. You lean back against it and cross your arms and legs as water rushes down your back. The dome is closed, but it's clear so you can see far out - it's like you're standing in the sky. Then you hear Huey, Dewey, or Louie, one of them anyway, say, "3...2...1...anchors away!" as the floor you're standing on - DISAPPEARS - and the next thing you know, you're free-falling down the tube which you can most definitely feel in your stomach, you level out and go over the side of the ship and back, and then you're unflatteringly lying at the end of the slide in front of a CM. It was hard for me to see anything once I dropped because I don't do eyes open in the water very well, so I just did it for the thrills. It was awesome! I can't help but compare it to the AquaDuck on the Disney Dream which is more of a water roller-coaster type thing. I mainly enjoyed that one because we could ride together, and it was an extensive ride that went around the entire deck. They're both awesome in their own way!

After a few more goes, we settled in the Goofy Pool to really play with our waterproof camera and listen to Timon talk about cruise safety.

Is that a hot tub!? We migrated quickly. Ahhhh...these things are a godsend.

Quiet Cove Area for 18+. Nicer pools and chairs...I guess everything just gets better as you get older, right? Right?!

After lounging for a bit more, we journeyed as far to the front of the ship as we could. We later figured out that the area with the pool below were for members of the crew, I think...

Our stateroom would be ready soon! We were eager to see what it would look like, so we grabbed a shiny elevator and were on our way down.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I just love the cruise reports... it's like looking in on another world! Someday.....

 

[belledream]

I just love the cruise reports... it's like looking in on another world! Someday.....

So true...it's still very Disney, but is also so different. Therefore, it is new realms of Disney and who doesn't love that?!

Don't stop dreaming! I first saved a DCL ad when I was like 12 years old and it was a picture of the Disney Magic. I believed I'd make it someday and my wish did come true!

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Great trip report.

The cruise line is really an example of Disney at their best. The upkeep is perfect, everything screams quality, and there are plenty of "only at Disney" experiences.

I just love the cruise reports... it's like looking in on another world! Someday.....

The cruises can be pricey, but there are also some deals to be had if you can do a re-positioning cruise. When you consider that food is included, they can certainly be affordable.